Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Have you been drinking tonight sir?

It was a busy night for Emergency Services in York Region. I headed up to Highway 7 and Leslie early in the night. The call was for an accident involving the police. Seems that a driver didn’t see all the flashing lights, as they approached a construction site on Highway 7. They didn’t miss the cruiser though. They ran right into the back of a police car that was directing traffic. It is alleged that the driver may have been drinking.

From there I headed right back down to King and Yonge for a strange one. The call was for a man on fire. I was surprised to hear police confirm that a man was indeed on fire. It seemed to start in the vestibule of a bank, near an ATM. Someone used a fire extinguisher to put the guy out. He was taken to St. Mike’s and is in very serious condition with third degree burns. He may have been a homeless person sleeping at the ATM. Police taped off the scene and called an ambulance for another homeless man sleeping right across the street. We see so many of these sad souls sleeping all over the downtown area. They sleep on to of heating grates to stay warm. It’s sad as many have mental health or substance abuse issues.

Just after 4am it was back to Richmond Hill for a fire in an apartment building. Firefighters rescued many residents climbing out of windows, as thick smoke spread throughout the building. The fire started in the kitchen of a unit on the main floor. The York Regional Police, best known for keeping media further back than the public, really did a great job of helping those who were evacuated into the cold night. A long line of cruisers were brought to the scene and shuttled residents to shelter at a nearby police station. A great action plan by the Yorkies. Metro would have left them waiting for a cold TTC bus to show up, which always seems to take forever. Hats of to the Yorkies on this one!

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