MADISON, Wis. - NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, who turned 46 last weekend, was briefly stuck in the elevator of a east Madison hotel early Sunday, a fire official told TODAY'S TMJ4's sister station WISC-TV.
Madison Fire spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster said firefighters responded to the Staybridge Suites at 3301 City View Drive at about 12:10 a.m. Sunday on a report of a stuck elevator.
Awesome birthday yesterday with an exciting finish. Stuck in the hotel elevator for 20min until the fire dep saved us. #freakedout pic.twitter.com/ySZ0gG0zWW
— Tony Stewart (@TonyStewart) May 21, 2017
The crew found the elevator stalled on the second floor with people inside. The doors were stuck, but firefighters were able to get them open after about 5 minutes and free the people inside.
"Awesome birthday yesterday with an exciting finish. Stuck in the hotel elevator for 20min until the fire dep saved us. #freakedout," Stewart tweeted Sunday with a photo in front of an elevator with the firefighters.
The fire department said the group had been in the elevator for several minutes before the fire department was called. Schuster said getting stuck in an elevator is considered an emergency and it is appropriate to call 911.
Happy to be at your service! Glad you're all safe and #nolongerfreakedout. Thanks for visiting #Madison! https://t.co/fr52QoKvZz
— Madison Fire Dept. (@MadisonWIFire) May 22, 2017
In a reply tweet, the Madison Fire Department said: "Glad you're all safe and #nolongerfreakedout."
The fire department said about six people were stuck in the elevator including Stewart.
For more on this story and other stories from the Madison, Wisconsin area, visit WISC-TV's website.
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