San Jose firefighters rescued a work crew from high atop a crane Friday after one worker accidentally made contact with a power line.
The injured worker, who suffered severe burns, had to wait hours for crews to cut the power and make it safe for rescue workers.
The incident was reported 11 a.m. as an electrical emergency at the Crescent Village apartment complex on Zanker Road in North San Jose. Fire officials said two men were in a bucket lift about 40 feet in the air when one contacted a high voltage power line with his helmet, which knocked him unconscious and burned his upper body.
People nearby heard a loud pop and saw smoke.
"I was very scared," said Kailey Arias, who called 911 to report the emergency. "I didn't know what was happening."
Firefighters responded but proceeded cautiously. There were two sets of transmission lines -- one was disabled when the worker made contact, but the other was not.
"PG&E had a very strict protocol for safety in which it had to go through and make sure the additional lines are not producing any power," SJFD Battalion Chief Mark Thomas said.
After the fire department and its urban search and rescue team grounded the power lines, firefighters brought down the stranded workers by extending a ladder to the bucket lift and assisting the men to safety. Both were able to make their way down the ladder under their own power.
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The burned victim was taken to a hospital.
"Anytime you're working around any high voltage lines you want to stay at least 30 feet away," Thomas said. "Obviously in this case those protocols weren't followed."
