Crane operator saved from fire
A crane operator trapped by a building fire in Kingston, Ontario, Canada on 17 December was rescued by a Royal Canadian Air Force helicopter crew.
A crane operator trapped by a massive building fire in downtown Kingston, Ontario, Canada on 17 December 2013 was rescued by a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) helicopter crew from 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron, out of 8 Wing Trenton.
The fire had broken out in a student residence undergoing construction work, and it spread quickly, threatening a nearby gas station and senior citizens’ residence. According to local police all construction workers save one – the crane operator – were able to escape safely.
The operator was stranded 100 m (300 ft) above the inferno. When the flames reached his cabin, he climbed 65 m along the boom, finding temporary safety on a platform measuring barely one metre square. The fire department, realising that they weren’t going to be able to reach the man, contacted the RCAF Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton. A CH-146 Griffon helicopter was dispatched with a search and rescue crew onboard, arriving on the scene 55 minutes later. The crane operator was retrieved and transferred to a ground ambulance, which took him to Kingston General Hospital. He reportedly suffered only minor injuries.
You can view a video of the operation below: