8 rescued in downtown hotel elevator

Eight people were rescued Sunday after being stuck on an elevator for nearly four hours inside a downtown Atlanta hotel.

The elevator became suspended on the 27th floor of the Westin Peachtree Plaza after getting stuck behind a blind shaft about 5:45 p.m., according to an Atlanta fire official. The last occupant was not rescued until just before 9:30 p.m., and no one was injured.

Rescue crews responded to the Peachtree Street hotel after getting two 911 calls from inside the elevator.

“Firefighters traveled to the 73rd floor to the control room to reset the elevator by shutting off the power,” fire spokeswoman Alyssa Richardson said in an emailed statement. “After the reset, the elevator did not return to its normal function, and an elevator technician arrived to troubleshoot the problem.”

Additional rescue crews and department supervisors responded when those efforts failed, she said. To reach the trapped occupants, a squad rode a second elevator down to the stalled one and removed the hatch.

“Firefighters then determined they could place a short ladder into the elevator car and extricate the occupants two at a time by transferring them to the roof of the working elevator car, bringing them up to the 45th floor, and having them step off,” Richardson said.

After four trips and about 45 minutes, all eight people were safely back on the 45th floor.

Fire crews then turned the scene over to building personnel for elevator repairs, Richardson said.

The Atlanta Journal-constitution has reached out to Marriott International, which operates Westin, for a statement.

COURTESY OF WESTIN PEACHTREE PLAZA An elevator in the 73-story Westin Peachtree Plaza hotel in downtown Atlanta became stuck on the 27th floor Sunday, trapping eight people inside for nearly four hours, before fire crews rescued them.