Montreal Firefighters Rescue Two Window Washers From Swing Stage

Two window washers were brought safely to the ground by Montreal firefighters on Friday morning, October 9, 2026, after a cable partially detached from their suspended work platform at a downtown high-rise on Robert-Bourassa Boulevard. The malfunction left the workers stranded around the 14th floor, with the platform tilting dangerously to one side.

According to reports from La Presse, Noovo and Cogeco News, the Montreal Fire Department received an emergency call at approximately 7:45 a.m. about the two employees of Fix Système trapped at 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, near De La Gauchetière Street.

One of the cables supporting the platform had partially come loose, causing the equipment to tilt to the left. Cogeco News reported that the platform dropped approximately three feet during the incident.

A specialized technical rescue team lowered rescuers from the building's roof to reach the workers at approximately the 13th floor. The first window washer was brought down at around 8:15 a.m., according to La Presse. Both workers had reached the ground safely by 8:52 a.m., ending an operation that lasted about an hour and a half.

William Murray, a spokesperson for the Montreal Fire Department, said the department's rescue personnel were prepared to handle incidents involving workers stranded at significant heights.

"The people in the tactical rescue group are ready for this," Murray said, according to La Presse.

Murray also noted that although these types of high-altitude rescues are not frequent, they do occur occasionally. The workers' lives were not considered to be in danger during the incident, according to Noovo, and ambulances were dispatched as a precaution.

The mechanical failure's cause remained unknown following the rescue. The Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST), Quebec's workplace health and safety authority, was expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Montreal police officers established a security perimeter around the intersection while firefighters continued their work at the scene. According to La Presse, the road closures were expected to remain in place until early afternoon on Friday.