A front-end loader hangs from the old Customs House in downtown Victoria Thursday morning, which is being renovated for luxury condos. Photo courtesy Hilary Shires.
A worker is unharmed but shaken after the front-end loader machine he was working on got dragged out a third-floor window during renovations to a downtown Victoria building.
A member of the crew said the bobcat was removing carpet from the old Customs House building on Courtenay and Government Streets that had been made wet to avoid dust.
The carpet was being unloaded out the window shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday when the incident occurred.
WATCH: Smoke coming from Customs House after a front-end loader was dragged out of a third-floor window by heavy carpet that got caught up on the machine. The building is being redeveloped into luxury condominiums. Video courtesy Taylor Dunn.
The carpet got tangled on the loader and started to drag it out the window, despite the efforts of the operator to back it up and turn it off.
The worker was able to get away from the machine as it hung out of the building and fluids began to burn.
A spokesperson at the scene said there was no major damage caused by the mishap that wasn’t already there from the renovations.
Photo courtesy Hilary Shires.
There were no injuries.
57 luxury condos are being developed in the building, with construction scheduled to be completed next year.
Andy Neal
