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ALTON – Three individuals were injured when a heavy gauge aluminum fire escape platform collapsed off the side of a second floor apartment located at the back of Third Street in Alton, two doors down from Bossanova.
The rescue call to the Alton Fire Department came in at 11:01 p.m. Sunday. Alton Fire Department Batallion Chief on duty Tom House made a quick decision to go through Olive Oil Marketplace at 108 W. Third St. in Alton for the rescue attempt, Alton Fire Chief Bernie Sebold said Monday morning.
“We received a call that an aluminum structure bolted to the second floor apartment pulled away and fell 18 to 20 feet to the ground,” Sebold said. “Initial reports said that three people were injured. Upon arrival, our personnel found two injured male patients and also discovered the injured female had left the scene for treatment on her own.”
The two male patients were transported straight to a local hospital and an ARCH helicopter landed at a local hospital to transport one patient to a St. Louis hospital to treat injuries.
“The anchor bolts that held the structure to the building itself had the appearance to have pulled off the brick and fell to the ground,” Sebold said. “They didn't have the appearance they were sheared.”
Sebold stressed that most fire escapes consist of an area to step onto and a ladder. These platforms are not designed to serve as a porch or balcony, but are for emergency purposes only, Sebold said. He added that Alton Building and Zoning has been notified to make sure the remaining fire escape platform area is safe and that when this is repaired, it will be done correctly.
Alton Memorial and Life Star Ambulance responded to assist the Alton Fire Department at the scene. Sebold called it “an unfortunate event.”
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