An OPP officer brought a person to safety in a Quinte West residential fire early Monday after another person attempting a rescue had been pushed back by heavy smoke.
At about 4 a.m., Quinte West OPP officers, the Quinte West Fire Department and the Hastings-Quinte Paramedic Service were called to the scene on Fifth Avenue.
A witness, who had called 911 after being alerted by a smoke alarm, tried to reach an occupant of the building who was in a basement unit, but was forced to retreat because of the thick smoke.
The OPP officer, who was the initial first responder on the scene, managed to locate the “distressed occupant” in a locked room and get them to safety.
The officer’s “quick actions have helped save a life in Quinte West,” police said in a news release Wednesday.
The rescued person was taken to hospital for care, while all other people who had been in the building were able to get out safely without assistance from first responders, police said.
The Quinte West OPP and fire department reminded everyone to check their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors to ensure they are in proper working order.
Quinte West is located almost 250 km southwest of Ottawa.
