'He is a hero': CTV Montreal camera operator saves man from house fire
A CTV News Montreal camera operator is being hailed as a hero after he helped a man escape a burning home over the weekend.
Cosmo Santamaria wasn't working Friday night when he saw flames shooting from a driveway on Ruisseau-des-Anges Sud in St-Roch-de-l'Achigan, about 50 km north of Montreal.
Usually, his first instinct is to take out his camera and hit record, but he says something was different this time.
"I had the phone in my hand, and I go, 'Wait a minute, the fire department is not here. I need to take charge,'" says Santamaria, who has worked as CTV's overnight patroller for 15 years.
He pulled over and spoke with a neighbour who said they had called 911 and that no one was inside the home.
"I paused for a bit, hesitated, and thought, 'there's a car parked in front of the house…I don't think the house is empty,'" he said.
He knocked on doors and windows all around the home—but no one answered.
Instead of giving up, he waited a few minutes and then tried again. Finally, a man answered the door.
"I go, 'Your car is on fire. Get your shoes on and get out of your house because the house is starting to catch fire,'" said Santamaria.
The man had been sleeping, and it appeared no fire alarm was activated, said Santamaria.
Video he captured from the scene shows the home engulfed in flames as firefighters arrive.
The fire chief for the Montcalm regional county municipality (MRC) praised Santamaria's quick thinking and selflessness.
"I think that today we can say that he is a hero because he chose not to think about himself first," said Chief François Thivierge. "I think it's important to highlight that courage, too. It's an act of civic-mindedness in itself, and it's a kind of collective contribution."
Thivierge says Santamaria will be recommended for an award for his actions.
The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) says the fire is considered suspicious and it has taken over the investigation.
- With files from CTV News Montreal's Christine Long
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
1 person killed and 23 injured in a bus crash in northern Maryland, police say
One person was killed and 23 others were injured when a bus crashed early Sunday on Interstate 95 in northern Maryland, police said.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
‘Love has no boundaries’: Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Video shows gaggle of geese stopping traffic on Highway 1 near Vancouver
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.