An off-duty York Regional Police officer and Toronto Police Service officer are being hailed as heroes after helping to pull a man from an apartment fire in St. Catharines.
Const. Justin Baird, who has been an officer with YRP for less than a year; and Toronto Police Const. Aidan Loughlin were in the area of St. Paul Street and James Street on Dec. 6 at approximately 11:30 p.m. when they noticed flames coming from a second-floor unit above a café, according to a York Regional Police news release.
The off-duty officers immediately ran toward the building and asked bystanders to call 911 as they smashed the front door to gain access to the building. When they reached the second floor, they found an elderly male victim unconscious in one of the units. The pair managed to pull him outside to safety until Niagara Emergency Medical Services attended and transported the male to hospital.
The victim suffered serious injuries and remains in a critical condition.
Both officers suffered smoke inhalation and were treated by paramedics.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Ontario Fire Marshal.
