06.06.2010

Window cleaners hit power lines

Two men cleaning windows in Orinda, near Oakland California were severely burned on Saturday when their aerial lift made contact with overhead power lines.

The men were around 10 metres up and working on the windows of a three-story brick office building next to the farmers market when witness says there were two explosions and an arc of fire as the platform touched the high-voltage transmission line.

The men miraculously regained consciousness after they were brought down by fire-fighters and were airlifted to the burn centre at Santa Clara Valley Medical Centre.

Moraga-Orinda fire rescue chief Darrell Lee said: “Their clothes burned off and they suffered second and third degree burns all across their bodies." The two were in critical condition over the weekend.