Two workers injured in Hamilton fire escape collapse

Two people were taken to hospital Wednesday evening after a fire escape collapsed near the downtown.

Hamilton police said the staircase - on the back of a building at 455 King St. W., near Locke Street South - was occupied by a construction crew when it fell around 6 p.m.

Spokesperson Indy Bharaj said the building owner hired a company to work on a metal staircase." He didn't elaborate.

It's unclear how many workers were on the fire escape at the time it collapsed.

Two men, one in his 50s and another in his 60s, were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, said Hamilton Paramedic Service Supt. Dave Thompson.

A city building inspector attended the building, police said, and the Ministry of Labour has assumed control of the investigation.

Sebastian Bron is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sbron@thespec.com