A fire escape at the rear of a St Ives building collapsed on Sunday evening, prompting a huge emergency services response
Olivier Vergnault Senior Reporter and William Morgan Reporter
02:01, 02 Sep 2025
Four people were seriously hurt when a fire escape collapsed at a property in Cornwall, owned by a family member(Image: Olivier Vergnault / Cornwall Live)
A landlady in Cornwall has expressed her shock after four members of her family were seriously injured when a fire escape at the rear of her property collapsed.
Helen Randall is still reeling from Sunday night’s incident during which the fire escape staircase at the back of the building she owns and resides in on Carthew Terrace in St Ives, came tumbling down.
The fire escape, leading from a roof terrace, can be seen twisted at the back of the building that Helen’s husband acquired in 1997. “It’s been horrific,” Helen shared with CornwallLive. “The stairs collapsed and four members of my family were injured and we don’t know why the stairs collapsed.”
She mentioned that the lower part of the building where the incident occurred is likely around 25 years old, while the upper part is approximately eight-years-old.
Helen Randall, the landlady of the block of flats in Carthew Terrace in St Ives where a fire escape staircase collapsed injuring four members of her own family(Image: Olivier Vergnault / Cornwall Live)
Around 7pm last night, the rear fire escape gave way, triggering a massive emergency services response. The Cornwall Air Ambulance landed in a nearby field, three land ambulances and three fast response units, fire crews from the town and police attended.
Helen expressed her hurt and frustration at seeing comments on Facebook suggesting “it must be some rogue landlord again”. “I’m not a rogue landlord,” she told CornwallLive.
“It’s my own family who got hurt. We have some wonderful tenants, some of whom have been tenants with us long term.
“No tenant was hurt. But my brother has some fractured ribs, his wife has a broken ankle and my mum suffered a broken ankle, damaged knee and a dislocated shoulder. My aunt was flown out to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth with two broken legs and two broken arms.”
Helen revealed that she managed to speak to her aunt in hospital this morning but is uncertain about her recovery prospects given her age. Devon and Cornwall Police have confirmed that one woman sustained potentially life-changing injuries due to the incident and was airlifted to hospital.
Helen mentioned that an officer from Devon and Cornwall Police has been securing the scene throughout the night and the morning until inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive visit her property to determine the cause of the staircase collapse and see what measures she will need to take. She said it is the first time in nearly 30 years that anything like this has ever occurred at her property.
She informed CornwallLive: “They said this sort of thing can happen but because we have tenants they need to check everything. That staircase is our fire escape and we have all the fire regulations and certificates in place. It has been very traumatic.”
A police officer was stationed outside the property when reporters arrived Monday morning. He stated his role was to ensure no-one exits out the back and risks further injuries until the HSE inspectors have come to inspect.
One resident shared: “It was just after 7pm. I saw the fire engine so I went up to the end of my garden to be nosy. There were three road ambulances and at one point there were three more rapid response vehicles. I had heard the air ambulance land in the field nearby.”
Another local, who lives in the block of flats where the incident occurred, added: “I became aware of it when I heard the helicopter and the ambulances in the street. I didn’t know what had happened until this morning when I read it on the news. It’s really sad and I hope they will be ok.”
