Broken water line causes partial power outage at Good Shepherd Hospital

Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital near Lake Barrington experienced a partial power outage caused by a broken water line Friday morning that caused some elective procedures and tests to be rescheduled, officials said.

No evacuations or patient movements were required and no one was injured, Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District officials said.

Water from the broken line on the third floor reached a ComEd transformer on the second floor and caused the outage, ComEd spokeswoman Jazmin Rangel said.

It remained unclear whether external weather issues had anything to do with the problem.

Firefighters received the initial call as a report of a structure fire at 8:17 a.m. but found no visible smoke or flames on the exterior.

Smoke was then found coming from an electrical vault on the second floor near an elevator and the central staircase, according to the fire department. When the door was opened, water was seen pouring into two transformer units. Dry chemical extinguishers were used to reduce the heat produced by the transformers.

Firefighters also found water leaking into a first-floor office area, but several computers were removed to prevent further damage.

An odor was detected in two empty suites in the labor and delivery wing on the third floor, but the area was quickly ventilated and no evacuations were required, officials said.

ComEd crews entered the hazard area and shut down the two damaged transformers while maintaining power to the three remaining units. Good Shepherd engineers were able to maintain all necessary hospital functions, according to the fire department.

Assisting the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District were additional fire personnel from Barrington, Fox River Grove, Lake Zurich, Long Grove and Wauconda.