Hundreds of people gathered downtown Thursday to watch the rescue of two window washers dangling 10 floors up on a high-rise building.
Zachary Scott Sr. and Zachary Scott Jr., a father and son team who work for A to Z Window Cleaning, held on for their lives for 35 minutes. Fortunately, both men were strapped into safety gear when the scaffolding gave way at the building on Broadway at the foot of India Street.
A half -dozen police cars closed Broadway to traffic at the end of many people's lunch hours, and the sidewalks soon filled with witnesses to the drama taking place high above them. Two fire department trucks showed up, and soon after one of the hook-and-ladders sent up its bucket, but it quickly became apparent that the effort was futile.
Firefighters talked to the endangered workers through a window, and at a little after 2 p.m., sheriff's deputies and city cops were herding all the onlookers blocks away. The relative quiet of the street was shattered by the sound of breaking glass, which rained down onto the sidewalk and a rooftop below. Again and again, the firefighters broke out the glass, creating a safe entrance for the men.
Fire crews were also on the roof, ready to rappel down, but firefighters decided it was quicker and safer to break out the window.
“In times like this, because of the wind and because they’re hanging from their safety harnesses, the quicker the better,” San Diego Fire and Rescue spokesperson Maurice Luque said.
A short time later, both men were brought inside to safety and a cheer went up from the streets below.
Afterward, both men were remarkably calm. Zach Jr. said a motor kept running and one of the lines fed right through it, causing the scaffolding to slip. He never felt they were in any real danger, despite appearances, because of their safety harnesses. He said he has been washing windows for 10 years but that nothing like this has ever happened to him.
Kurt Campbell works in the building. He said he came outside when he heard the sirens and was very impressed by the emergency workers.
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"These guys are amazing,” he said. “What are we talking about? Twenty-five minutes -- soup to nuts -- from the time it started to the time it finished?”
