Electrical Panel Issue Sparked Tampa Hilton Fire

Tampa Fire Rescue Photo: Mayor Bob Buckhorn stopped by to check on guests at the Hilton Tampa Downtown hotel Tuesday.

TAMPA, FL — Guests at the Hilton Tampa Downtown found themselves displaced following a Tuesday morning fire.

According to Tampa Fire Rescue, firefighters responded to a call from the 221 N. Tampa St. hotel around 9:45 a.m. The caller told a dispatcher that three explosions were heard, the elevator stopped and power was lost to the building.

After arriving on scene, firefighters learned a building engineer was troubleshooting an electrical issue at a second-floor panel when the sparks ignited. It seems the engineer “opened the panel (and) there was a flash, several bangs (what was reported by others as an explosion) and the interior components began glowing and the cable insulation melted and caused a thick haze to form throughout the second floor,” an email from the agency stated.

Acting fast, the engineer doused the panel with a dry agent to stop the fire and fled the room.

When firefighters arrived on scene, they also doused the panel and ordered an evacuation of the building, the email said. A third alarm was ordered at 10 a.m., but was quickly called off, the email noted.

While the building has been ventilated, the Fire Marshal has ordered the evacuation stand until the fire alarm system can be reset and repaired. A portion of the hotel should be able to reopen sometime later on Tuesday, fire officials said. Some guests have been able to retrieve items from rooms.

No injuries were reported.