LONDON, ONT. -- It was a dramatic scene in front of a south London home Sunday. Fire crews and EMS worked feverishly to save a man's life after a fire in his house on Patience Crescent.
"One patient was removed through our search efforts and handed over to London-Middlesex Paramedic Services," says Gary Mosburger, London Fire platoon chief.
First responders worked on the man for over 10 minutes on the lawn before taking him to hospital in an ambulance.
Neighbour Chris Wright noticed the fire from his kitchen, and called 911 but not before rushing over to see if anyone was inside.
"I saw smoke coming out the front window, and I banged on the door and tried to open it but it was locked," says Wright "We also tried the backdoor, but assumed no one was home cause we made lots of noise, but no one answered."
Mosburger says fire crews arrived within four minutes of the initial call, and search and rescue efforts happen quickly.
"We door floor-by-floor searches with multiple crews to get people out as fast as we can," says Mosburger.
CTV News spoke with a man who identified himself as a brother of the victim. He says his mother and her boyfriend were at church at the time, and his brother who had mental disabilities was alone in the basement.
London police were on scene working with fire to block off the crescent, and keep on lookers at a distance.
"Police's role in a matter like this is crowd control and traffic control and ensure that fire can do their job properly," says Const. Jonathan Bessa of the London Police Service.
Fire investigators were on scene early in the afternoon to determine whether the Ontario Fire Marshal's office will be required to attend
