Update: Electrical fire at University Hospital

At 3:10 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, an electrical fire was reported at University Hospital.

The fire was immediately put out and patients and staff in impacted areas were safely relocated with no injuries reported. We are grateful to the Ann Arbor Fire Department for their quick response.

We are also extremely thankful to all of our team members who continued to provide and support safe patient care during this incident, including evacuating patients in affected areas.

Occupational Health Services is planning to expedite evaluation of employees who present with symptoms related to yesterday’s fire. Employees can present to OHS for evaluation until 5 p.m. today (clinic is open 7 a.m.- 5 p.m., Monday-Friday). Anyone with severe respiratory symptoms should present to the ED for evaluation.

Several areas are still being cleaned and inspected, which is impacting operations. Please note the following:

• Operating rooms in Cores A, B and C are all undergoing additional cleaning and inspections, and  many surgeries scheduled for today have either been relocated to other ORs or are being rescheduled. Contaminated instruments and implants are being reprocessed. We anticipate opening some of the ORs for surgeries later today.
• The B2 Pharmacy will undergo deep cleaning that may result in dispensing delays. Pyxis cabinets in UH were not able to be restocked overnight so decreased medication inventory may be observed today. Please contact pharmacy via MAR message or phone at 4-7596 for urgent medication needs.
• The Adult Emergency Department is no longer diverting emergency vehicles. Adult inpatient to inpatient transfers remain on hold and Adult ED to ED transfers are on a case-by-case basis.

Staff who believe there are new air quality concerns in their work area impacting employees and patients should speak with their supervisor. Safety Management Services can be contacted to evaluate the need for air quality testing at 734-764-4427.

The work of the teams resuming operations across the impacted areas has been outstanding, and your efforts and commitment are greatly appreciated.