Two Hydro Quebec workers are being applauded for rescuing a woman and two children from a burning house by catching them as they leapt from a second-floor window.
The fire broke out early Wednesday morning in a home in Hudson, Que., about 56 kilometres west of Montreal.
Mario Menard and his partner, Guy Desgagne, were working in the area around 6 a.m. when they heard the screams.
“Some little children they were screaming, ‘Help me! Help us! Help me!’” Menard told CTV Montreal.
When they drove toward the sound, the workers found the large house up in flames. Two young girls, ages eight and 10, were standing in a second-floor window with a woman. Menard said he urged the children to jump.
After some initial reluctance, they leapt from the window into the workers’ arms.
Neither of the girls was hurt in the fall, but the woman suffered minor injuries. The house was completely gutted by the blaze.
Firefighters have credited the Hydro Quebec workers’ quick thinking for saving the family from the blaze.
“Thank God they were here. These guys saved three lives today, for sure,” said Daniel Leblanc of the Hudson fire department.
But Menard said he was simply acting out of instinct.
“I have four kids, so if something happened like that at my house, I’m going to do the best I can to save my kids,” he said.
Neighbour Fausto Sabatino, who lives beside the burned-down house, called the Hydro workers “superstars” and said it’s lucky that they heard the girls’ cries for help.
“They did all the work. Amazing that they just happened to be driving by,” Sabatino said.
The cause of the fire is unclear. The house, which was built less than 10 years ago, had no power at the time of the fire.
With files from CTV Montreal
