Fire fighters rescue boy locked in Vernon post office

VERNON – A ten-year-old boy found himself locked in the front foyer at the Vernon post office on Boxing Day when the lock on the door malfunctioned.

Fire chief Keith Green says the boy’s mother dropped him off at the downtown post office to check a post office box. His key got him inside, but when he went to leave he couldn’t get out.

“The mother was there the whole time. She was just sitting in the car wondering what was taking the kid so long,” Green says. “When she realized he was locked inside, she called 911.”

Crews didn’t have to pull out the fire axes to break through the door. Instead they contacted the property representative to get a key to the back door allowing them inside the post office building.

“Our guys let him out and he was quite happy to get out of there.”

Green figures the boy spent about 20 minutes stuck in the post office box area once the 911 call was made.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander at halexander@infonews.ca or call 250-491-0331. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.