It may be a while before residents of a high-rise red brick condo in the east end of downtown St. John’s can return to their homes following a dramatic rescue in the overnight hours of Saturday.
People in the area near the Sheraton heard loud booms and saw black smoke coming from the lower level of the condo building, which is on Duckworth Street.
The RNC, St. John’s Regional Fire Department and ambulance crews sprang into action to get the people out of the smoke-filled building.
Platoon Commander Paul Chaytor says one firefighter was injured and taken to the hospital.
He says they went door-to-door and made a full sweep of all rooms, but the more difficult in this case was that people were on their balconies, so they had to bring in the ladder trucks to rescue them.
Bella Randazzo, who was at Bannerman Brewery across the road when things all broke loose, helping set up for a friend’s wedding reception yesterday, was happy to see everyone get out okay.
She says firefighters asked them to move away from the area, but they were very accommodating and worked really hard to ensure everyone’s safety.