Three men are seen on the mechanical scaffold stuck at the 23rd floor of the Arcadian Court building at 401 Bay Street at Queen Street West. This was the way they spent Tuesday evening when the machine, also known as a swing stage, developed an unknown malfunction. “They were cold but they were fine,” Toronto Fire Squad Captain Peter Hayes told reporters shortly after the men were rescued. “Apparently there was a mechanical problem with the swing stage,” Hayes said. “As far as we know there was an electrician on the roof trying to get it going. He changed some fuses but unfortunately it didn’t work.” Nearly 20 firefighters were called in around 5:50 p.m. to take part in the rescue. Trained Toronto Fire highrise personnel requested a power saw and ladder because they couldn’t break the window beneath the two men. The workers had used a cell phone to communicate with their rescuers. It appears workers and the electrician wanted to see if they could fix the scaffold rather than cut a hole in the building. In the end however, it was necessary. The whole drama lasted four hours. All lanes on Queen Street West near Bay Street are now open to traffic after being closed as the team coordinated the rescue.
