Jesse Spencer caught up in elevator drama
TV firefighter Jesse Spencer turned real-life hero on Sunday (30Mar14) when he and a group of tourists found themselves trapped in an elevator.
The Chicago Fire star was touring the Illinois State Capitol building with his parents when they found themselves stuck.
Reports suggest the Australian actor helped calm everyone's nerves
in the elevator, then he and another man pried open the doors of
the elevator long enough so a call to emergency services could be
made.
Minutes later real Springfield, Illinois firefighters arrived on
the scene and helped free the trapped tourists, who had been stuck
for more than 45 minutes.
The former House star tells the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper,
"People started to freak out. It was getting so hot. It's
claustrophobic. One poor girl had a fear of being trapped in
elevators.
"Eventually, I managed to get the doors open so we could get air
in... It relieved the tension. I took turns getting people that
were freaking out over near the door. I didn't want them sticking
their heads out in case the elevator took off again."
A fire department spokesman has praised Spencer for keeping the
trapped tourists calm and for his efforts in making the emergency
call.
The representative says, "I think he knew that the fire department
should be the one who should be called."
Spencer took to Twitter.com on Tuesday (01Apr14) to post a photo of
himself posing with his rescuers and wrote, "Thanks Springfield FD
saved us from an elevator at the Capitol Building. Stuck for an
hour, I muscled the doors open."