Cambridge, Mass.-based Mount Auburn Hospital lost power July 5 for nearly seven hours after both electric cables serving the hospital failed, according to Cambridge Day.
The fire department confirmed that the first electrical line from Eversource, the electric utility company, had failed at around 8:30 a.m. that morning. The second power line failed three hours later. Mount Auburn Hospital turned to its backup generator, which was focused on powering lighting, elevators and other equipment.
Hospital staff did not have to evacuate patients; however, 15 patients were moved from higher floors of the 213-bed hospital because the emergency generator did not support cooling capabilities, Cambridge Day reports.
Mount Auburn closed its emergency room to incoming ambulances, rerouting patients to other hospitals in the area. Patients who walked into the emergency room were treated as usual.
Engineers are investigating the cause of the electric cable failures.