Hamilton city employee risks life to help rescue residents from house fire

A Hamilton city employee risked his life Wednesday morning, running into a burning house in the city’s east end to save a mother.

Three people were inside when flames erupted at the home, causing half a million dollars in damage. The dramatic early morning rescue has neighbours and Hamilton Fire Chief Dave Cunliffe praising the veteran city employee for his bravery under extremely dangerous conditions.

The home was left scarred by the flames that ripped through it, but it’s also the scene of an act of selflessness.

When asked if the employee saved their lives, Cunliffe said, “I would suggest to you yes, absolutely.” However, he noted they put themselves at extreme risk. “Very quickly that individual could have been another victim.”

Just after 7 a.m., a home on Cope Street caught fire with the three people who live there inside: a man and woman both in their 70s, and a man in his 40s who neighbours say is their son. The blaze sent large plumes of smoke billowing into the sky.

Neighbours reported that everything happened really quickly, noting there was all kinds of smoke and fire trucks, with only smoke coming from the home at first.

That is when Paul Toth, an employee with the public works department who was on his way to catch a bus to work, spotted smoke coming from behind a convenience store and ran over.

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According to officials, Toth saw an individual leaving the home and then called 911. He was told by the individual that there were still two people inside.

The public works employee then ran into the burning home, finding a person on the first floor and dragging them right to the front door before the smoke became too much.

“By then another gentleman had pulled up and then he’d come in and just grabbed her the last two feet,” Toth said.

Toth is a father of five and a former bus driver who has worked with the HSR for 23 years. He described the harrowing rescue of the mother.

“She’s about six feet inside the door and I could hear her saying ‘help me,’” Toth said. “Smoke was so thick I couldn’t even see that the door wasn’t quite open all the way so my shoulder hit it and then I pushed it and then a big gulf of smoke came towards me. And then I got down low and I could see her then. And I said, ‘crawl to me’ and she said ‘I can’t, I’ve fallen, my legs hurt, it’s bleeding.’ So I crawled in to her.”

The smoke was so thick he says he had to go back to the door several times during the rescue for fresh air.

“I got her to turn over onto her back, and then I got my arms under her arms and I pulled her a bit,” Toth said. “Finally got her about maybe two feet from the door, so by then she was a lot safer.”

Firefighters were able to retrieve the son, who was on the second floor, and got the fire out in about 20 minutes.

The Ontario Fire Marshal is investigating, but no cause has been determined. Hamilton Fire says the blaze does not appear suspicious.

“It shocked me — the first thing — cause we know him,” said neighbour Mike Matias.

Mike and Anabele Matias say the son has some developmental challenges and is a well-known and helpful member of the neighbourhood.

“The garbagemen that does our street every Thursday morning, they pick him up in front of his house,” Anabele Matias said. “They’ve also given him a high-viz uniform with the pants … and they pick him up and they drive him down the street and he helps them pick up the garbage.”

When asked what they think of Toth’s heroism, Mike Matias said, “That just gave me chills and that’s Hamilton.”

Toth did not even take the day off work.

“EMS cleared me and I saw the bus and I jumped on and left,” Toth said with a laugh.

A Hamilton firefighter was also injured during the rescue. He was taken to hospital but has since been released and is okay.

Hamilton EMS say all three family members were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation and other injuries. There is no word on their condition this evening.

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