Firefighters rescue eight people trapped in Calgary Tower elevator

CALGARY (660 NEWS) – Some high altitude drama in a downtown Calgary elevator Friday night resulted in an unusual rescue performed by firefighters at the Calgary Tower.

Just after 10:30 p.m., the Calgary Fire Department’s technical rescue team was called in when an elevator broke down, trapping eight people inside.

Batallion Chief Alistair Robin says a cable on one of the elevators at the Calgary Tower broke, and the car stopped about 12 storeys up. Firefighters and elevator technicians decided to keep the car stationary and remove the passengers.

A harness was used to pull the trapped passengers up through the elevator’s scuttle hatch. Rescue workers then lowered them down through the hatch of a second elevator that was positioned beside the broken one.

The operation went off without a hitch, with no injuries.

While they respond to elevator calls on a regular basis, Battalion Chief Frank Ostrow says this was a rarity.

“We do a lot of elevator rescues but this is the first time that we’ve had to, that I know of, that we’ve had to move them from one car to another,” said Ostrow.

Patrons in the restaurant at the top of the tower walked down the stairs, or were carried down the stairs by firefighters.

Building maintenance staff and specialized technicians were left to resolve the issue with the problematic elevator.

With files from the Canadian Press.