FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. --
An electrical fire forced guests out of the Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday night.
The fire sparked at about 9:30 p.m., forcing the evacuation of 24 floors of the hotel. According to the Fort Lauderdale Fire Department, the fire was out just before 11 p.m. Guests were seen at 11 p.m. standing outside the hotel along A1A.
"The lights were on. We were told we didn't have to leave our rooms, and about 10 minutes later, my kids were calling, 'The fireman said get out, the fireman said get out.' So we had to come down 10 flights of stairs with two children," said Michael Johnson, a guest at the Ritz-Carlton.
Florida Power and Light told Local 10 that the hotel must make repairs to the area damaged by the fire before the power can be safely turned back on.
A representative of the Ritz-Carlton said guests were being relocated to the Marriott Harbor Beach, the W Hotel and the Westin Resort.
Only two of the hotel's eight air chillers were working as of 12:45 a.m. Wednesday.
There is no timetable for when power will be turned back on at the Ritz-Carlton.
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