2 Workers Burned When Ladder Touches Power Line

WEST LOS ANGELES — Two maintenance workers were burned, one critically, when an aluminum ladder they were positioning touched a high-voltage power line Monday outside a West Los Angeles apartment building, fire officials said.

The men, whose names were not immediately released, were injured shortly before 1 p.m. in the 11300 block of Nebraska Avenue and were taken to UCLA Medical Center, said Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey.

One man was in critical condition with burns to his hands, arms, neck and back, Humphrey said. That man also apparently suffered a head injury when the force of the electrical shock threw him to the ground, Humphrey said.

The other man was listed in serious condition with second- and third-degree burns on both hands, Humphrey said.