A woman who was stranded on top of a construction crane in downtown Toronto for hours early Wednesday was taken into custody after a dramatic rescue by firefighters and police. The woman was brought to the ground by a firefighter, who rappelled down off of the crane’s block with her after placing her in a safety harness. The pair touched down just before 8:30 a.m.The woman appeared calm as she was handcuffed, led to a stretcher, and then loaded into an ambulance. “She’s alert and cooperative with us,” said Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg of the woman, as the rescue was underway. Originally, crews intended to lower the crane’s block – carrying both the woman and the firefighter rescuing her – roughly 12 to 20 stories down into a patch of grass in Paul Kane House Parkette.The last-minute change to the rescue plans came shortly after 8 a.m., after concerns from rescuers about lowering the crane itself.“It takes a lot of dexterity…as our rescuers get cold, it gets harder on them,” said Pegg of the rescuer. Hundreds of people gathered around police cordons along Wellesley, between Yonge and Church Sts, snapping photos as firefighters attempted to rescue the woman. “He’s one of our technical rescue firefighters, and one of our best,” said Pegg of the firefighter on the crane. A caller phoned police around 4 a.m. after seeing a person on top of a crane near Wellesley St. E. The woman climbed on top of the crane using the ladder, and then lowered herself onto the platform using the crane’s cable, said Insp. Colin Greenaway.It was not immediately clear why the woman had gone up on the crane, or if she’ll face any charges. Wellesley has been shut down between Yonge and Church Sts.With files from Andrej Ivanov and Peter Edwards
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