Category Archives: Nursing Home/Senior Living

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Jackson, NJ – Sprinkler system activates in fire at senior assisted living complex; No injuries reported

A fire Sunday morning at the Bella Terra assisted living complex at 2 Kathleen Drive resulted in approximately 100 people being evacuated to Jackson Liberty High School, Jackson Township Chief of Police Matthew Kunz said.

Mayor Michael Reina said the fire broke out in the D-wing of the facility and resulted in the evacuation of 44 rooms. More than 30 people living in that wing were taken to Jackson Liberty High School for temporary shelter.

“The only thing I know is that the fire was in the attic area above the third floor. It might have been initiated in a heating, air conditioning unit and spread out into the attic area,” Kunz said late Sunday morning at Jackson Liberty as the evacuees were being transported into the high school. “The sprinkler systems were activated, as a result of the heat and the fire causing extensive water damage on that side of the building.”

Both Kunz and Ocean County Sheriff Mike Mastronardy said the high school was being used as a temporary staging area for the evacuees.

Kunz said: “There were no injuries, but because of the fire and water damage, there had to be an evacuation of the building so the building department and inspections could get in and take an assessment as to what was damaged or if it (Bella Terra) could be rehabitated. That’s going to be an all-day process.”

Denise Olejarz, Deputy Coordinator for the Jackson Office of Emergency Management, said early Sunday afternoon that some of the evacuees had either gone home with family members or been transported back to Bella Terra. Olejarz said not all the rooms at Bella Terra are habitable.

Reina said the D-wing had roof damaged and would remain closed until further notice. Bella Terra had enough open units to relocate the D-wing’s residents, he said.

Ethel Levine, 89, resident of Bella Terra for 13 years, said the fire alarm at the complex went off at about 7 a.m. She said members of the Jackson Township Fire Department arrived at about 7:30 a.m., knocking on the doors of the residents and telling everyone to move into the lobby area.

“Then they told us, which of us had to be evacuated,” Levine said. Levine, who lives on the second floor of the complex, said said she remained calm.

“I’ve been through a bomb scare when I worked at the post office so this didn’t bother me,” Levine said.

John Dittman, 60, a resident at Bella Terra for eight years, also said everyone remained calm before they were transported to Jackson Liberty.

“The only pain was being inconvenienced. It wasn’t scary,” Dittman said.

Mastronardy said there were over a dozen ambulances on site and a bus from the Monmouth County EMS Task Force to assist in the evacuation process.

The fire occurred at about 7:20 a.m, and the Jackson Township Police Department and officers with stations 54 and 55 of the Jackson Township Fire Department responded to the alarm, Jackson Police Deparment Lt. John Decker said.

Fire departments from neighboring towns also came to help, Reina said.

“The evacuation, rescue went seamless and not a single injury,” he said. “I’m a very grateful mayor tonight.”

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Yarmouth, MA – Nursing home fire contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Fire broke out at the Mayflower Place nursing facility on Buck Island Road around 11 a.m. Smoke as reportedly pouring from one of the units when firefighters arrived. A sprinkler system contained the fire and crews quickly put it out. The occupant escaped and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation. A Hyannis engine assisted at the scene.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Severna Park, MD – Fire at assisted living center suppressed by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Nearly 60 residents have been displaced from a Severna Park senior living complex after a two-alarm fire broke out late Monday afternoon, an Anne Arundel County Fire Department spokesman said. Firefighters were called to the Kris-Leigh assisted living facility in the 800 block of Ritchie Highway around 4:45 p.m., Lt. Erik Kornmeyer said.

When they arrived, crews found the four-story building full of smoke. A small fire was found in a common area of the building. It had been mostly extinguished by the sprinkler system, and the fire was contained within minutes, Kornmeyer said.

No injuries were reported. Sixty-eight firefighters from the county, Annapolis and the Naval Academy helped with evacuation and smoke removal, Kornmeyer said.  The facility is expected to be closed for several days, Kornmeyer said.

Kris-Leigh staff was working with the families of the complex’s 56 residents to make arrangements for Monday evening and plans to transfer residents whose families cannot assist with arrangements to Kris-Leigh’s locations in Davidsonville and Gambrills, Kornmeyer said.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Southbury, CT – Sprinkler system keeps fire from spreading at retirement community

A resident of The Watermark at East Hill was treated at a hospital for minor smoke inhalation and released Tuesday following the 11:50 a.m. fire, C. Jill Hofer, Watermark’s director of communications said Tuesday.  Hofer said the fire was “contained’ and may have been caused by microwaved popcorn.  The alarm and sprinkler system activated and the fire was extinguished, Hofer said.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Pacific, WA – Cooking fire at senior apartments extinguished by sprinkler system

Firefighters from the Valley Regional Fire Authority quickly responded and contained an unattended cooking fire at the Rainier Vista Apartments, 134 3rd Ave. SE, Pacific, early Saturday afternoon.

There were no reported injuries.

Responding to an automatic fire alarm at 1:45 p.m., the initial unit found smoke showing with a possible fire from the third floor. Firefighters soon discovered the source, an unattended cooking fire, which the automatic sprinkler system extinguished within several minutes.

The fire was contained to the original unit. The residence was unoccupied at the time of the fire. About a half dozen rooms and residents were affected by ongoing water mitigation efforts.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Nursing Home/Senior Living

Antioch, CA – Fire at senior memory care facility controlled by single sprinkler

Nearly 40 people were displaced after electrical smoke activated a fire sprinkler Tuesday afternoon at a senior living center.  A fire was reported around 2:57 p.m. at Hillcrest Memory Care Living at 825 East 18th Street, said Contra Costa County Fire Inspector Steve Aubert. No injuries have been reported.

An individual was working in a maintenance room when smoke from an electronic device activated the fire sprinklers in the building. The incident was under control around 3:30 p.m. The senior living center cares for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, said Contra Costa County Fire Marshal Robert Marshall. The small electrical fire was controlled by a single sprinkler head.

“If there was a bigger fire in there, we would have had a much bigger problem and possibly fatalities,” Marshall said.  Aubert said the water damage impacted 39 tenants.  They were “relocated to a different center because it’s going to take some time to clean up the area,” he said.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Richland, WA – Kitchen fire at assisted living facility extinguished by sprinkler system

A stove fire broke out at a retirement and assisted living home in Richland on Wednesday but no residents were hurt.  Richland fire crews were alerted around noon to a fire at Riverton by Bonaventure on Bellerive Drive. A sprinkler system extinguished the small kitchen fire before crews arrived, said Battalion Chief Ron Duncan.

“Somebody left something on the stove and walked away from it,” he said.  Richland fire crews then received calls about an hour later because someone smelled smoke. It turned out to be smoke lingering from the previous fire, Duncan said.

Read more here: http://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/crime/article99156947.html#storylink=cpy
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential High Rise

Bradenton, FL – Fire at senior and assisted living facility extinguished by sprinkler system

A kitchen fire has damaged apartments in a Manatee County assisted living facility.  According to the facility management, a guest of a resident at the Westminister Towers & Shores left a basket on a stovetop. The contents inside the basket soon caught fire. The fire was quickly contained and extinguished by the automatic fire sprinkler system and Bradenton Fire Department.  No one was injured during the fire.  Westminster Towers & Shores will be relocating the three residents whose apartments need to be restored.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

North East, MD – Kitchen fire at senior apartment complex extinguished by sprinkler system; State troopers rescue elderly residents

Six Maryland state troopers helped rescue several people from a fire at a senior apartment complex.  State police said troopers were called around 11 p.m. Thursday to help North East police and fire crews at a fire at the Victoria Park Apartments in the 500 block of South Main Street.

State police said the troopers entered the burning building without protective gear or breathing apparatus. The troopers carried five residents to safety before returning to the building to search for others.

There were no deaths and only minor injuries were reported.  According to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office, the fire started in a kitchen and was extinguished by the sprinkler system.  The fire caused about $10,000 in damage to the structure and the contents.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Brattleboro, VT – Sprinkler system contains fire at nursing home to laundry area; No injuries reported

About 54 people were evacuated Wednesday from a nursing home in Brattleboro after a fire started in a commercial clothes dryer.  The Brattleboro Fire Department was called at 3:55 p.m. to the Thompson House Rehabilitation and Nursing Center at 80 Maple St.

Authorities said the two-alarm fire started in a dryer, which set off the sprinkler system in the building. The water from the sprinkler system kept the fire contained to the laundry room.  Residents were taken next door to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital while the smoke cleared the building.

No injuries were reported.  The Brattleboro Fire Department was assisted by firefighters from Keene, Guilford, Putney, Hinsdale and Chesterfield.