A power outage left United Medical Center, formerly known as Greater Southeast Hospital, in the black after a back-up generator didn't turn on, forcing critical patients to be transports to other hospitals.

The power outage was affecting residents in Southeast Washington and Prince George's County. The power was off at the hospital from around 7:20 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. A Pepco spokesperson said at 7:19 p.m. a wire came down on Saint Barnabas Road which caused a chain reaction, eventually knocking out power to 5,000 customers.

ABC 7/NewsChannel 8 reporter Horace Holmes reported the back-up generator at the hospital did not turn on. He also reported six critical patients were transported to other hospitals.

As of 10 p.m., power was restored to about 4,100 customers. Pepco expected power to be restored to all customers by midnight.

United Medical Center was renamed in late May by owner Specialty Hospitals of America. ABC 7/NewsChannel 8 reported at the time of the renaming, a number of upgrades were made at the hospital, including back-up generators.

Email To A Friend