Power fully restored to Tacoma General, Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital
Feb 24, 2025, 5:30 AM | Updated: 5:34 am
MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital. (Photo: MultiCare)
(Photo: MultiCare)
Main power was fully restored to MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital and Mary Bridge Children鈥檚 Hospital, a spokesperson said early Monday morning.
Both hospitals expected to be back to normal operations Monday.
“MultiCare extends our thanks to Tacoma Public Utilities and our support vendor, CBS Field Service, for their partnership with our facilities team in making repairs and restoring power,” said MultiCare spokesperson Scott Thompson. “We greatly appreciate the collaboration with health systems throughout the region for their support. We recognize the dedication and excellence of all our physicians, nurses, and support staff during the last few days. Their work enabled us to safely care for our patients during challenging circumstances,” Thompson said.
MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital and Mary Bridge Children鈥檚 Hospital in Tacoma had been relying on generator power since Wednesday due to a water-cooling system leak that shorted out an electrical switch. This incident caused significant operational challenges for both hospitals.
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Hospital transition to power failed
At approximately 7:15 p.m. Thursday, the hospitals successfully transitioned back to normal power. However, this relief was short-lived. About an hour later, a main switch in an electrical vault failed and subsequently caught fire. The fire was swiftly contained within the vault, preventing it from spreading further. Despite the presence of smoke from the fire, no staff members or patients were injured, ensuring the safety of everyone within the hospital premises.
The issue did not involve a generator malfunction, and there was no need for sheltering in place at the hospital due to this incident.
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