Category Archives: Nursing Home/Senior Living

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Houma, LA – Nursing home fire caused by lightning strike controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Several residents were evacuated Saturday night after lightning ignited a fire in a Houma nursing home, authorities said.  Around 5:45 p.m. lightning struck the Maison De’ville Nursing Home at 107 S. Hollywood Road, sparking a fire in the attic, Bayou Cane Fire Chief Ken Himel said. The flames then activated the building’s automatic sprinkler system, which helped crews bring the fire under control in about 20 minutes, Himel said. About half of the facility’s residents were evacuated during the incident while the remaining occupants were sheltered in place.  No injuries were reported.
“The sprinkler system did its job holding the fire in check until we arrived and the nursing home staff did a fantastic job evacuating and relocating residents,” Himel said. “A really bad situation was averted.”

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

London, ON, Canada – Fire at retirement community extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A heating pad is getting the blame after a small fire broke out a retirement community in London.  The London Fire Department said on Monday around 7:25 p.m., a smoke alarm notified fire crews of the fire in an apartment unit at The Manor Village at 230 Victoria St. When firefighters arrived, smoke could be seen coming from the apartment but the fire had already been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.  According to fire officials, the fire was caused by a heating pad that had been left too close to combustibles and resulted in a living room chair catching fire.

All of the residents affected were safely moved from the area by staff at the retirement home before firefighters arrived. No injuries have reported.  The fire and smoke damage were contained to the one apartment unit.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Coventry Twp, OH – Fire at senior housing complex contained with help from sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A fire trapped residents in part of a Portage Lakes senior citizen housing complex Saturday morning until firefighters and a building sprinkler system doused the flames enough to rescue them.  The Coventry Township Fire Department reported no injuries in a news release.  What started the apartment fire and how much damage it caused remains under investigation.  People displaced by the blaze were being helped by the American Red Cross at the nearby Kiwanis Civic Center.  The fire department statement said an automatic fire alarm came in to the fire station from the Kiwanis Towers in the 300 block of Portage Lakes Drive about 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

As firefighters battled the blaze with a hose on the fourth floor of the apartment building, Summit County Sheriff’s Office employees and others began rescuing trapped residents. Help arrived from surrounding first responders and others, including an Akron Metro bus, to treat and shelter evacuees. A photo posted on the Facebook page Portage Lakes Rocks showed about 30 people at the civic center.  “Sprinklers and smoke detectors save lives,” the fire department said in its release about the incident.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Newport, RI – Kitchen fire at historic senior apartment building controlled by sprinkler system

Two apartments at Clarke School Apartments, 24 Mary St., remained uninhabitable as of Friday afternoon due to fire, smoke and water damage in one apartment and water damage in a second apartment below it, according to Fire Chief Brian Dugan.  The report of a fire in a third-floor apartment came in on Wednesday at about 2:10 p.m. and people were evacuating the building when firefighters arrived, Dugan said.

There was a stovetop fire in the kitchen that had activated the sprinkler system, which did a good job of controlling the damage, Dugan said. The fire was doused within 10 minutes after firefighters arrived, and most of that time was spent getting hoses and equipment up to the apartment, he said.  No cause of the fire had been established as of Friday and it remains under investigation, Dugan said.

One of the tenants has received living accommodations through the Red Cross, according to the fire chief. Reports from tenants said three elderly residents in all have not been able to return to their apartments.  Residents said there is some water and smoke damage in other apartments that remain occupied.

The Clarke School was built in 1915 and underwent a historic renovation in 1994 when it was developed into more than 50 privately operated affordable apartments. The apartments are reserved for people 55 or older, as well as disabled individuals, and some income restrictions apply.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Oak Ridge, TN – Overnight fire at assisted living facility extinguished by sprinkler system

Oak Ridge city officials say a sprinkler system was key in putting out a fire at an assisted living facility Friday before it spread to other parts of the building.  The fire was reported around 12:38 a.m. Friday at NHC Healthcare on Laboratory Road. An employee reported seeing fire coming from a clothes dryer and then saw water in the dryer area.

The fire crew controlled the water coming from the sprinkler, closed the gas and disconnected power from all three dryers. No one was injured and there was no fire damage around the dryer.  The facility was back to normal operation within 24 hours.

The Oak Ridge Fire Department says this was the second time within 24 hours that a lifesaving device properly performed its function in the case of a fire. A house fire was reported on Thursday on East Drive where a smoke alarm woke up the resident and likely saved his life.

Fire officials want to remind everyone that having working smoke alarms and a working home sprinkler system increase your chances of surviving a fire by 80 percent. They also note that all sprinklers do not activate at once, only the one closest to the fire. Ninety percent of the time, one sprinkler contains the fire.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Rochester, NY – Sprinkler system contains fire at assisted living center

Dawn Laesser considers the residents at Shire Assisted Living family.  Her daughter serves as administrator there and, when Dawn heard about the fire that forced part of the complex to evacuate, she jumped right in to help.

She started by gathering clothes.

“It was a blessing no lives were lost,” Laesser said. “It gives me chills thinking about it because they’re like family to us.”

Some of those residents are being housed elsewhere in the building.  The Ridge Culver Fire Department says about 160 residents in all were evacuated from the basement, first and second floors.  This type of evacuation can be tricky because this building is what’s considered a high-hazard occupancy, with the people inside needing assistance getting out.

 “A lot of them have difficulty with mobility, they’re wheelchair bound or they have a walker to assist them, so they’re not able to move quickly, they’re not able to necessarily remove themselves easily from the location,” said Chief Steven Sessler of the Ridge Culver Fire Department.

Four residents and a firefighter were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

The fire chief says recent updates to the building’s fire alarm and sprinkler systems made a world of difference in getting everyone out safely and quickly.  

“That sprinkler activated properly and was able to contain the fire and keep it at a small state until we could get in there and extinguish it so that’s extremely helpful,” Sessler said.

He also credited the fast action of police, fire and ambulance crews from around the area that answered the call to assist in the evacuation.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Irondequoit, NY – Nursing home fire contained by sprinkler system

Several people were forced from their homes Wednesday night after a fire at a nursing home in Irondequoit.

It happened around 8 p.m. at the Shire at Culverton Adult Home. The fire forced more than 100 vulnerable residents to evacuate.

Everyone was safe and sound except for one firefighter who suffered minor heat exhaustion. As for the residents, they’ve been moved back into the facility.

After further investigation, it was discovered that a fire broke out in one of the rooms and was contained to that room only. However, a dozen other rooms actually sustained water damage and that’s why so many residents are displaced.

News10NBC was told the home has extra space so those with damaged rooms will be moved somewhere else within the facility for the night.

If there isn’t enough room, some people will be moved to another home.

Because most of the residents have health issues, a number of first responders were on scene to make sure they were ok.

“At the time, we had a fire in the building, a smoke condition in the building. The sprinkler had activated and the fire alarm had activated so, it was a matter of safety precaution. We decided to empty the building. We assessed the situation and dealt with it,” said Chief Steve Sessler, Ridge Culver Fire District:

There is no word on when the water damage will be repaired or what actually caused the fire in the first place.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

James City, NC – Late night fire at assisted living facility contained by sprinkler system; Fire started in laundry room

Fire fighters responded to <a fire> at Croatan Village, an assisted living facility in James City.  Crews were called there at 11:30 p.m.  The fire started in the laundry room, but the sprinkler system contained fire. Everyone was evacuated, and no one was injured. A canopy was set up for residents until they could return to their rooms.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Logan, UT – Fire extinguished at nursing home after help from sprinkler system

An air conditioning unit that sparked a blaze in a resident’s bed led to some injuries during the evacuation of a nursing home Friday.

An employee at Rocky Mountain Care, 1480 N. 400 East, discovered the fire about 6:40 p.m. and helped the female resident out of the bed and into the hallway, said Craig Humphreys, assistant chief and fire marshal of the Logan Fire Department. The resident was taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries.

Humphrey’s credited the employee for saving the woman’s life.

Another employee attempted to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher as the building’s sprinkler system activated, he said.

Evacuations were underway as firefighters arrived. With help of the sprinkler system, crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire, Humphreys said. Firefighters then worked to ventilate smoke and remove water from the building.

The fire destroyed the mattress but the fire was confined to one room, he said.

A woman who fell during the evacuation was taken to the hospital as a precaution, he said. Three employees were treated at the scene for possible smoke inhalation.

Humphreys said investigators determined the fire to be accidental. He said the fire started because the bed was pushed up against the electrical cord on the window-mounted air conditioning unit.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Cloquet, MN – Fire at senior apartment building held in check by sprinkler system

Emergency officials responded to a fire at a Cloquet senior living residence Friday evening which has forced some residents out of their apartments. The fire at Larson Commons was reported around 6 p.m. Friday. Area firefighters responded to the incident at the senior living residence and found smoke on the fifth floor.

“When crews arrived, we had multiple people yelling out of the window that they couldn’t get out of their apartments,” Cloquet Area Fire District Chief Kevin Schroeder said. “Initial crews found smoke throughout the fifth floor.”  Chief Schroeder adds crews found fire in the corner of the hallway. The fire had been confined to the area by the sprinkler system.

“The sprinkler system kept [the fire] in check. The fire started in some furniture, went up the wall into the ceiling,” Chief Schroeder said. Fire officials extinguished the fire and checked the walls to make sure the fire had not spread to other parts of the building. The cause of the fire is not known yet.

As crews check the electrical systems of the building complex to ensure no damages, residents have been evacuated. The Red Cross is assisting affected residents. Crews with the fire department are also assisting with recovering personal belongings and needs of residents affected.  Two people were evaluated for minor injuries. One resident was brought to Duluth to receive medical attention.  Cloquet Area Fire District was assisted by Carlton and Esko Fire Departments. The fire remains under investigation.