Officers Help Evacuate Apartment Fire

It was a chaotic and heartbreaking scene as police officers supported Toronto firefighters to evacuate an apartment building in the midst of a frigid and snowy weekend.

Neighbourhood Community Officers Esteban Iglesias and Victor Espinoza-Parent were among the 51 Division officers and first responders who poured onto side streets narrowed by snow banks to reach the fire at 275 Bleecker St. on February 15.

“It was an active fire when we got there with a lot of smoke,” said Iglesias, a 20-year veteran. “As a Neighbourhood Officer the last six years, I know most of the people in that building. There were kids on balconies calling me and my partner’s names, asking for help. That was very overwhelming.”

The fire broke out in a sixth-floor unit, sending thick black smoke and confusion through the Toronto Community Housing highrise.

The North St. Jamestown Neighbourhood Communtiy Officers were concerned about the many elderly people in the building as well as children, including those with special needs.

“These people are like our friends who are in a fire and we couldn’t help them all,” said Iglesias, of helping get people out of the building. “In this case, it was personal for us because we are Neighbourhood Officers interacting with these people on a regular basis.”

Toronto firefighters led the fire response and worked with police officers to coordinate the evacuation.

Primary Response Officer Constable Arielle Dubissette-Borrice was on nearby Parliament St. when the call came over.

“I commenced knocking on every door on the first floor. The residents were in their apartments because they didn’t think the fire was serious,” she said, noting that many residents from upper floors were crowded on the first floor.

“Some residents handed me their babies and went back to their floors to gather other young children,” said Dubissette-Borrice. “When most of the residents from the sixth floor were down on the ground floor, I went up the stairs to some upper floors to ensure they were clear. Elderly people needed assistance to get down the stairwell because they had to leave their walkers behind. There was an elderly gentleman who was blind that I helped get to the ground floor.”

Constable Michael Magnante arrived to the back of the building with his partner Constable Najeeb Obaidi to see flames shoot from an apartment balcony and licking the apartment above.

“The apartment was fully engulfed – you could hear small explosions,” said Magnante, who worked to create a buffer around the building taping off the area.

“People were coming too close to the building to see what was going on or because they have family members in the building,” said Magnante. “We wanted to make sure that no one was underneath as debris fell from the fire and keep them out of the building for their safety.”

Obaidi headed inside and up into a stairwell, encouraging people to keep moving outside of the building as they were unsure what to do.

“It was chaotic,” said Obaidi, noting he encountered people panicking to leave to others believing it was a false alarm as he made his way up to the 14th floor. “There were people with disabilities, people with kids, some people said they had family trapped on certain floors, lot of people trying to go back in for pets.”

Obaidi got information on units to check on elderly residents they weren’t sure had left the building.

“There was a lot of concern for others,” said Obaidi, who checked on apartment units for residents.

He lauded the work of firefighters who waded into the sixth floor that was pitch black with smoke to rescue people and knock down the fire.

Gagnante said it was tough to have to keep people out of the building for their safety as many had left behind essential items but officers were able to direct people to City resources such as warming buses and the Wellesley Community Centre.

There were 12 people hospitalized and five police officers treated for smoke inhalation.

Dubissette-Borrice was among those helping evacuate a bedridden senior alongside paramedics.

Constable Denis Ho and Elizabeth Luck, Neighbourhood Community Officers in nearby Moss Park, also helped with the evacuation.

“I grew up in Toronto Community Housing in Regent Park and have a sense of what the residents were going through,” Ho said. “I used the intercom to call for the evacuation of the building. Once the fire was put out, we helped to secure the scene.”

Constable Iglesias said officers continue to stay in touch with residents, knowing that the fire was a traumatic disruption to their lives.

“There a lot of low-income people that this is just devastating, it’s heartbreaking,” Iglesias said.

Superintendent Ishmail Musah commended first responders and his officers for protecting vulnerable members of the community.

 “The bravery and quick action taken by these officers in the face of danger ensured the safety of many individuals,” the 51 Division Unit Commander said. “Their dedication and courage exemplify the highest standards of our Division.”