Toronto firefighters called to rescue man stuck between two buildings

TORONTO – A man who got stuck in a narrow gap between two buildings in downtown Toronto spent nearly eight hours in the confined space before he was freed by firefighters who broke through part of a wall to rescue him.

Firefighters were called to a set of buildings on Sherbourne Street near Queen Street shortly after 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday.

The man, said to be in his 30s, told rescuers he had fallen from a nearby roof and got stuck between the buildings about five hours earlier, said Toronto Paramedic Services spokesman John Migliore.

Toronto Fire Captain Michael Westwood said the man was stuck in a space that was only about 20 centimetres wide.

“He was wedged in a really tight space,” said Westwood. “His head was sideways, his body was wedged in there really tight.”

The man’s reduced circulation, as a result of his situation, would have left him too weak to crawl out of the gap, Westwood said.

Firefighters managed to break through a thick wall in one of the buildings and free the man at around 11 p.m. Tuesday, Westwood said.

The man was taken to hospital with minor injuries, Migliore said.