Critical Patients Evacuated by Firefighters During White Memorial Hospital Power Outage

BOYLE HEIGHTS, LOS ANGELES, Aug. 22 (KNN) — A power outage at White Memorial Medical Center late Monday night involved the Los Angeles Fire Department’s assistance in evacuating patients requiring transport to another hospital.

Just after 11 p.m. Monday, the LAFD received a 911 call for a power outage at White Memorial Hospital located on the 1700 block of East Cesar E. Chavez Avenue in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Upon arrival, firefighters determined there was a large scale emergency prompting a large response from the LAFD, according Captain Cody Weireter, Public Information Officer with the Los Angeles City Fire Department.

The tower that specializes in Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU), Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB-GYN) and rehab completely lost power. At that point 241 patients were impacted from the power outage itself, and 30 of those critical patients were transported by LAFD to local hospitals, reported Weireter from the scene.

Of the 241 patients, 211 were assisted by White Memorial staff and LAFD firefighter/paramedics to another site on campus that had power and were able to accommodate their needs, Weireter reported.

Weireter said there was zero visibility and no elevators were working. Firefighter/paramedics had to assist patients in critical condition to non-life-threatening conditions down stairwells to receiving ambulances.

Twenty ambulances were on scene with firefighter/paramedics and 22 fire companies also assisted Weireter said. LAFD worked with representatives from White Memorial along with the Department of Water and Power to slowly and mitigate in a very meticulous way with the critical patients and quickly get them off to the hospital.

It was determined at the point of the power outage that the hospital’s main power and emergency power was completely off, said Weireter.

The investigation is continuing into the cause of the outage.

Gabriel Pabon, Video Journalist / KNN