THUNDER BAY – A 55-year-old man is confirmed dead after a suspected carbon monoxide poisoning incident Sunday night at a McTavish Street home.
The brave actions of five Thunder Bay Police Services officers likely prevented more people from dying.
According to Insp. Al McKenzie, a police sergeant made the decision Sunday night not to wait for Thunder Bay Fire Rescue crews to get into their protective gear and instead broke down the door and began removing occupants from the residence.
The quick action may have saved at least three lives.
"When officers arrived they were met by ambulance, who told them there was high levels of carbon monoxide within the residence and it was unsafe to enter," McKenzie said.
"The sergeant on scene knew there were people inside in distress and made the decision to breach one of the doors. When they entered, the first two officers in found two individuals unconscious on the floor. They picked them up over their shoulder and carried them out to the backyard."
Moments later they re-entered the building and found a disoriented person in the kitchen and took them outside via the front door.
"Four other officers also entered the building and went into the basement area, where there was an individual who was disorientated and was unable to walk. They physically picked this person up and carried them outside the residence," McKenzie said.
He added he believes it was the people living in the upstairs portion of the two-storey home who called emergency services and reported something wasn't right within the home.
"When they went to the basement they quickly realized they were unable to completely assist these people, but had the conscious effort to dial 911 and get emergency services on scene. That's really what saved these people, was getting the first responders on scene quickly."
The five officers who first entered the home were also taken to hospital, suffering from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning. One officer collapsed upon leaving the home and was vomiting on the ground, but all five are up and about after being treated in hospital, McKenzie said.
Had police waited, it might have been a different outcome.
"I would say it was extremely brave of those officers because they were told upon attending there that it's unsafe to enter, that it wouldn't be beneficial to them. But they realized they were the only line of defence at that point. There were other first responders with safety equipment, but they have to first don that equipment and of course that takes time," McKenzie said.
"The sergeant on scene made the decision that they didn't have that time and he chose to breach the door and they breached the door and they entered unprotected. But they did their job and they saved lives that night."
Emergency crews arrived on scene within minutes of the call coming in.
A 26-year-old female, a 62-year-old female and a 51-year-old male were treated in hospital. Their conditions are currently unknown.
Four other people in the residence did not require medical attention and were taken to police headquarters to attempt to determine what happened.
Investigators are still holding the scene.