Two critically injured in Ajax house fire, child rescued: police

Two people are in life-threatening condition following a fire at an Ajax home that forced a woman to drop a child to safety from a second-storey window, Durham Regional Police said.

Officers attended the residence on Dooley Crescent just after 4 a.m. on Friday for reports of a fire. They observed heavy smoke and flames coming from the rear of the home.

Police said a woman was yelling from the second-storey window and holding a child. An officer yelled for the woman to drop the child to him, which she did, and he was able to carry the child to safety. 

The woman then jumped from the window and suffered serious injuries. Police said she was rushed to a Toronto-area trauma centre and is currently in stable condition. The child sustained minor injuries.

First responders then discovered a male occupant of the home who was found without vital signs. Life-saving measures were performed as firefighters focused on containing the burning house.

The man was rushed to a hospital where he remains in life-threatening condition, police said.

The Ontario Fire Marshal’s office has been called in. Police say the fire does not appear to be suspicious.