Electrical contractors burned while working at Charlotte hotel

Two workers suffered serious injuries after being burned at a hotel in southwest Charlotte Thursday afternoon, according to firefighters.

Firefighters said the workers, who were electrical contractors, were burned while working on an electrical panel at the Ramada Hotel on West Woodlawn Road. They said a flash fire sparked up during the incident.

“They were working on a panel, it’s a main large electrical panel that’s 480 volts and whatever happened something in there went wrong and it flashed and like I said electricity and a flash fire,” said Battalion Chief Paula McDaniel.

Both workers were taken by ambulance to an area hospital. Their names and conditions have not been released.

Fire crews say there was not a fire when they arrived, but that firefighters reported seeing a small amount of smoke. A guest at the hotel also told WBTV that he saw smoke on the first floor of the hotel. Kenny Smith says he left his room when he heard the fire alarm.

“So three of us ran downstairs to the outside door downstairs to the bottom door we open up the first door all we saw was full of smoke so then after that the three of us cut out the side door and back and ran around the corner. But they still haven’t come out and said anything to us,” Smith said.

Duke Energy cut power to the hotel as a precaution.

Guests were allowed back into the hotel around 4:45 p.m.

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 7:45 PM with the headline "Electrical contractors burned while working at Charlotte hotel."