Firefighters in San Francisco responded to the Hilton Hotel at Union Square on Thursday evening for a hazard on the exterior of the building, according to the city's fire department.
About 6 p.m., a piece of loose siding on the 18th floor of the hotel's Tower 2 prompted authorities to shut down Taylor Street between O'Farrell and Ellis streets for a couple of hours. The panel was seen flapping in the wind, and as a precaution, police and fire officials cleared the roadways and walkways below.
The panel was removed about 8 p.m. when a worker went up in a window washing lift and pulled it down.
Fire officials said a construction crew was seen working on the building earlier Thursday. When fire crews initialy arrived on the scene, they rendered the area safe.
It was later determined the loose panel was not part of the construction work.
The Hilton corporate office released the following statement about the incident:
"The Hilton San Francisco Union Square earlier this evening had a small piece of its Tower 2 exterior paneling dislodge. As a safety precaution traffic at the corner of O’Farrell and Taylor streets was shut down until the panel could be retrieved. As the safety and security of its guests, team members and neighbors are of paramount importance to the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, the hotel is cooperating fully with local authorities to determine the cause of the incident."
