London fire crews were called to a fire at an apartment complex on Dundas Street at William Street on Thursday morning.
The fire reportedly broke out around 9:45 a.m. in a ground floor apartment.
One man was rescued from the burning apartment by two Good Samaritans.
Brad Guest explains "Me and a gentleman ran around the back of the building and could see that, sure enough it was Bob's apartment on fire, fully engulfed by the time that we got there. The windows were ready to break out."
Josh Loucks adds "I tried to kick the door in a couple of times but it wouldn't go, so [Brad] found the key and he got the door open and we opened the door. The smoke, grey smoke, was really thick and I seen the old man's feet. That's all I seen so I just ran in there and I grabbed him and dragged him out of the house."
The man and a second male were treated at the scene by emergency crews.
The fire was quickly contained, but crews remained on scene for more than an hour checking for hotspots.
The blaze has left 19 people from the building out in the cold.
Fire crews also has to ventilate three floors at H.B. Beal Secondary School, which is next door to the apartments, after smoke entered the building.
Rick Jefferson, London Fire Department's communication officer, says "There was some smoke that entered the building. There wasn't an evacuation of the building, but they moved some students to a different, safe part of the building."
It's unclear when residents will be able return to their homes, but the Red Cross has been called in to help.
