JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A pipe burst leaked water into an electrical transformer at the Hyatt Regency Downtown Riverfront hotel causing it to catch fire, sending hundreds of people attending an event in the building outside for hours on Saturday.
"We can confirm that a pipe burst on the hotel’s third floor early this morning that leaked onto a transformer and resulted in an isolated electrical fire," said Jeff Thompson, the general manager at Hyatt Regency Jacksonville.
A Jacksonville Fire and Rescue spokesperson said the transformer was located on the first level of the building when it caught fire.
Witnesses reported seeing smoke coming from inside the building along with no electricity.
"Due the incident, the hotel is currently without power and has temporarily suspended normal hotel operations. We are currently working to investigate the cause and assess damage," Thompson said.
No injuries have been reported.
At the time of the evacuation, hundreds of people were inside for a wellness conference hosted by LivePURE, a health and wellness company based out of Texas.
The president of LivePURE said his company has been leasing a space for the event at the Hyatt for the last two days when he was told everyone had to evacuate.
"Today, we had to switch rooms because of some leaking in the ceiling, and then all of sudden they came, the fire marshal came, and said there might be an issue, and now there's fire trucks and ambulances here," LivePURE President Rick Redford said. "It's a little bit of an inconvenience, but you know what, it's all about safety."
One person attending the conference said no fire alarms went off.
"The crazy thing was, there was no alarm, we were just told to evacuate," said Margaret Omowaiye, who was at the event. "The fire marshals came, but it was really quiet like no one even said anything to us about why it happened, or what's happened."
Witnesses said the hotel elevator is down, and some visitors have had to climb at least 10 flights of stairs to recover luggage from their rooms.
"It was tough. You have to go up stairs, get your stuff and hike it all down. There are staff that are helping, but it’s mostly on you," said Carol Bishop-Hauch, a guest at Hyatt Regency. "I was on the 11th floor, so next time I get a hotel, I might make sure I’m on the second or third floor," she joked.
A handful of people said they had health conditions and couldn't make it up that many flights of stairs to get their bags, so they are just waiting to see what happens next.
Some of the visitors told First Coast News the hotel is getting them another hotel across the river, others are still waiting to figure out where they need to go.
First Coast News reached out to Hyatt for comment and received the following:
"The safety and wellbeing of our guests and colleagues is always a top priority. We can confirm that a pipe burst on the hotel’s third floor early this morning that leaked onto a transformer and resulted in an isolated electrical fire. We immediately engaged the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department who quickly extinguished the fire, and we have safely evacuated all guests. We are grateful that no guests or colleagues have reported any injuries. Local authorities have deemed the property safe for entry.
Due the incident, the hotel is currently without power and has temporarily suspended normal hotel operations. We are currently working to investigate the cause and assess damage.
We are extending care to all colleagues and guests, and we are working to relocate all in-house guests to other area Hyatt hotels."