Window Washers Rescued After Being Stranded 225-Feet Above Ground In O.C.
IRVINE (CBSLA.com) — Two window washers were rescued Wednesday after being stranded 225 feet above ground for more than three hours.
The incident at 4 Park Plaza unfolded about 9:30 a.m. after a platform got stuck around the 16th floor of a high-rise building near Jamboree Road and Main Street in Irvine, reported KNX 1070's Mike Landa.
2 Window Washers Rescued After Being Stranded Outside OC High-Rise
As news helicopters buzzed overhead, one of the two window washers passed time by taking photos on his cellphone.
Down below, Urban Search & Rescue crews from the Orange County Fire Authority devised a plan to get the men safely off the disabled platform, which became stuck when a motor failed.
"That's unbelievable," said Chris Jafari, a witness. "You go on a rollercoaster and you [don't get] that high. It's pretty nerve-racking."
For more than three hours, the men hung on the side of the 20-story high-rise.
While office workers watched the situation unfold, firefighters mobilized on the roof, first lowering backup safety harnesses should the platform shift.
As hours passed, the rescue plan changed and firefighters ruled out hoisting themselves down to the men. The window washers eventually manually cranked a new cable that was rigged to the platform.
The men were safely brought off the platform just before 1 p.m.
CBS2 reached out to the window washers' employer, Newport Window Maintenance, for comment. One was not provided.
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
