Staffers evacuate patients and other staff members from the East Ann Arbor Health and Geriatrics Center Wednesday
Courtesy of David Reid
The East Ann Arbor Health And Geriatric Center closed Wednesday after a small electrical fire knocked out power to the building, officials said.
University of Michigan police spokeswoman Diane Brown said the building, 4260 Plymouth Road, was closed as of 11 a.m. Wednesday. The incident occurred just before 10 a.m. Wednesday, according to officials.
U-M Health System spokeswoman Kara Gavin said an electrical transfer switch on the U-M East Medical Campus blew and interrupted the connection with the backup generator, causing the building to lose power. A nearby medical imaging scan location on the campus also was affected.
"It’s very important to note that some care at that campus is continuing today," Gavin said in an email, "and that we are working to reschedule or accommodate patients with appointments in the one building that is closed."
Staff and patients were evacuated from the building and were later allowed back in to retrieve their possessions, Gavin said in a statement.
The Ann Arbor Township Fire Department responded to the campus, and there was a report of smoke but no fire, Gavin said. No injuries were reported.
There are three buildings on the East Medical Campus. The other two buildings remained open Wednesday, Gavin said.
Gavin said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that the building would be open on Thursday.
"The incident appears to have begun with the implosion of a circuit breaker, which knocked out power to the building and also disabled the transfer switch that would normally have allowed the backup generator to begin providing power," Gavin said. "Facilities staff were able to install cables to bypass the issue, and a safety inspection and fire alarm testing were performed before the building was allowed to be occupied."
Patients scheduled for appointments Wednesday were notified of the issue and those with more urgent needs were directed to other buildings, Gavin said.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.