Electrical fire forces evacuation of downtown hotel

The Boston Fire Department ordered the evacuation of the InterContinental Hotel around 2 a.m. after fire broke out in electrical conduits in the hotel basement. Some guests were put up to the ballroom of the Boston Harbor Hotel on Rowes Wharf for the duration, others were brought to a nearby Hilton, the department reports.

The department struck a second alarm when officials realized the only way to combat the fires would be to turn off power to the entire building - which meant bringing in extra firefighters to evacuate the entire 21-story building, which has 434 guest rooms and 130 condos.

The department reports no injuries. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the department points to "smoldering wires in conduits and arcing in electric panels in the basement of the garage." As of 8:30 a.m. hotel and NStar workers, contractors and city inspectors were still on scene trying to fix the problem.

The hotel opened just four years ago.