MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital and Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma have been relying on generator power since Wednesday due to a water-cooling system leak that shorted out an electrical switch. This incident has caused significant operational challenges for both hospitals.

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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.

"We're working with Tacoma Public utilities to restore main main power back to the hospital campus," Scott Thompson, media relations manager for MultiCare told KIRO Newsradio. The re-start caused "a fire from a main switch and an electrical vault on our campus that failed and caught fire last night."

Tacoma General and Mary Bridge will continue to operate on generator power for now. Both hospitals have implemented trauma and surgical divert protocols to manage patient care effectively during this period. The Emergency Rooms are operating as normal.

It is important to clarify that the issue did not involve a generator malfunction, and there was no need for sheltering in place at the hospital due to this incident. The hospitals say they are taking all necessary precautions to ensure the safety and well-being of their patients and staff while addressing the electrical issues.