Category Archives: Nursing Home/Senior Living

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Laurel, MD – Sprinklers put out fire at assisted living home; residents evacuated safely

Fire broke out Monday in the kitchen of an assisted living facility inside a residential home in Laurel, Md. The Prince George’s Co. fire department said four elderly or disabled people were able to escape unharmed, in part, because the home had a sprinkler system that put out the flames before first responders arrived. Residents could be displaced for weeks. News 4’s Meagan Fitzgerald reports.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Clinton, NC – Cooking fire at senior housing complex put out by sprinkler system

A cooking fire at a senior housing development in Clinton was able to be quickly extinguished thanks to a sprinkler system, but it did not come without significant water damage, evacuations and one woman transported for treatment.

At about 2:20 p.m. Tuesday, the Clinton Fire Department along with departments from Halls, Taylors Bridge, Herring and Salemburg, with ladder truck in tow, responded to a commercial structure fire alarm at Sampson Square Apartments on College Street.

Once on scene, Clinton Fire Chief Scott Phillips said he could not see anything. He made contact briefly with a woman who was the sole resident in the second-floor apartment at the time. She said she was cooking when the fire occurred.

“The sprinkler system activated and extinguished the fire,” said Phillips. “There was not much in the way of fire damage, but there was water damage and it was leaking downstairs. Once we got there and figured out what was going on, we were able to turn some of the (fire units) around.”

However, Phillips and other fire officials ensured all residents were accounted for using a log provided by the apartment manager.

“We made sure everyone was safe and everyone was evacuated to a centralized location,” said Phillips, who noted the female resident of the apartment requested to be transported by EMS. “I’m not sure if she had smoke inhalation. She was talking and it appeared her injuries were non-life-threatening.”

A two-story, 40-unit senior housing development constructed and opened in 2010, Sampson Square is located at 804 College St. It is one of many developments managed by United Property Management (UPM) toward providing residents age 55 and older an affordable housing option. The company oversees 35 communities throughout the state of North Carolina, offering nearly 2,000 rental units across the state.

Phillips said there were about 20 people outside once the building was evacuated, but the fire chief noted that others could have also been “out” away from the Sampson Square campus as it was the middle of the afternoon.

A UPM employee at Sampson Square on Wednesday confirmed that there was no smoke or fire damage in the building, but that the water damage was extensive. He called the incident a “grease fire” and noted that Keshonda Ruffin, regional manager who oversees general management of UPM properties across the state, was expected to further assess the damage at the housing complex later in the day.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Houston, TX – Fire at assisted living center extinguished with help from sprinkler system; No injuries

Residents at an assisted-living facility were evacuated Tuesday night when fire damaged portions of the building in southeast Houston. The fire broke out about 9 p.m. at the Paul Chase Commons in the 16400 block of Moon Rock Drive, said District Chief Tim Lockwood of the Houston Fire Department.

Lockwood said the 26-room, two-story facility was evacuated after fire was sparked in one of the rooms. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, with the help of the facility’s sprinkler system. No injuries were reported.

 The fire, Lockwood said, appeared to begin in the unit’s air conditioner. Six to eight units were damaged, and smoke billowed throughout the building.  After the smoke was cleared and firefighters determined the facility was safe, residents were allowed back inside. Those living in the damaged units were relocated. The fire remained under investigation.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Danbury, CT – Sprinkler system contains flames when man’s recliner catches fire

A man was brought to the hospital after his recliner caught fire at a Danbury apartment building Sunday.

A mix of volunteer and career firefighters from Danbury responded to the eight-story building at 25 Beaver Street around 11 a.m. The fire happened in an apartment on the second floor.

“The sprinkler system put most of the fire out and the crews finished the job,” said Assistant Fire Chief Mark Omasta. “It was extinguished quickly.”
 
The man, who has not been identified, was taken to Danbury Hospital for probable smoke inhalation, which Omasta said is precautionary. He said the man was alert and conscious when firefighters brought him out of the building at 25 Beaver Street.

Firefighters also rescued the man’s cat, which is being examined by a veterinarian, Omasta said.

The building is listed online as Putnam Towers and one of the five elderly properties the Housing Authority of the City of Danbury owns and manages. It has 54 units, according to the housing authority’s website.

Omasta said the man’s apartment has water and smoke damage but the other units are OK.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Brainerd, MN – Sprinklers and staff praised for halting fire at senior assisted living facility

The Brainerd Fire Department responded to a fire Friday at Carefree Living, an assisted living facility for seniors.

Firefighters responded at 2:51 p.m. When they arrived on scene, the fire had been extinguished by the automatic fire sprinkler system and staff with a fire extinguisher, a BFD release said.

Fire crews removed smoke from the building and worked to control the water from the fire sprinkler system.

No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire was under investigation, the release said. There was minor damage to the room the fire was in. The cost of damage was still being estimated.

Fire Chief Tim Holmes said staff and the sprinkler prevented the fire from spreading.

“This is a great example of the value of an automatic fire sprinkler system and the well-trained staff,” Holmes said.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Oak Lawn, IL – Sprinkler system helps contain dryer fire at nursing home

Oak Lawn firefighters quickly struck a fire that started in a clothes dryer in the basement of a medical building. Firefighters responded to an activated fire alarm around 4:12 p.m. at Oak Lawn Respiratory and Rehabilitation Center, 9525 S. Mayfield Ave.

A second call was placed moments later by a caller reporting there was a fire in the basement. When firefighters arrived no flames were showing, but Oak Lawn police officers reported seeing a lot of smoke.  Patients were being evacuated out of the building by staff when first responders rolled up on to the scene.

“[The respiratory center] had an escape plan,” said OLFD Deputy Chief Scott Boman. “The staff did a nice job getting everyone out of the building.”

Patients were taken to a staging area across the street at Oak Lawn Community High School where they were assessed by paramedics and then moved into the high school to keep them out of the elements. A fire crew was sent into the building where they determined the origin of the fire to be inside a clothes dryer in the basement. The sprinkler system in the basement had activated.

No hose lines were laid, and firefighters used fire extinguishers to put out the fire inside the dryer unit. After that it was a matter of airing smoke out of the building, Boman said. “It was a small fire but a lot of smoke,” the deputy fire chief said. “Our crew went in and put the fire out, and got the personnel back into the building.”

There were no injuries, but an employee was transferred to Advocate Christ Medical Center for a non-fire related asthma attack. Oak Lawn Village Manager Larry Deetjen said the village health inspector went into the building to inspect all the rooms and ensure that the smoke had been cleared out of the building.

According to the facility’s website, Oak Lawn Respiratory and Rehabilitation provides care for approximately 70 respiratory patients, as well as short-term rehabilitative care for patients released from the hospital.

Boman said once the building was aired out, patients were able to return to their rooms. Burbank, Evergreen Park, Chicago Ridge and Bridgeview fire departments assisted OLFD in the fire.

Original story — Oak Lawn firefighters are working on a fire at 9525 Mayfield at this hour, responding to a reported basement fire at the Oak Lawn Respiratory and Rehabilitation center building. Streets in the area of 95th Street and Mayfield have been blocked.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential High Rise

Windsor, ON, Canada – Fire at senior high-rise apartment building controlled by sprinkler system

Fire broke out late Wednesday night in a unit in a high-rise apartment building across from Coventry Gardens in Windsor. John Lee, with Windsor Fire and Rescue, says no one was injured.

“We got a call about 10:15 p.m. to the Amica building. It is a vulnerable occupancy [building]. It’s a nursing [and] rest home, senior’s living. There was a fire on the second floor in one of the units. The sprinkler system activated. The resident got out safely,” he said.

Windsor Fire and Rescue says because the sprinklers activated and kept the fire under control. An investigator will look into what started the fire on Riverside Drive, near Pillette Road.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residence Hall/Dormitory

Springdale, PA – Early morning fire in senior high-rise apartment building limited by sprinkler system; No serious injuries reported

Residents of an apartment building in Springdale was evacuated Thursday morning, when fire broke out on the sixth floor. Firefighters were called to Springdale Manor on Pittsburgh Street shortly before 6 a.m.  Channel 11’s Jennifer Tomazic reports that a man was trapped inside the apartment where the fire started.  He was rescued and did not suffer serious injuries.

About 30 people were initially evacuated due to the fire. When the sprinkler system did not shut off, many apartments sustained water damage and all residents were evacuated. “The pressure in the sprinkler system was so great it was blowing the wedges back out of the sprinkler heads,” Springdale Assistant Fire Chief Dan Copeland said.

“My cupboards on the first floor are full, my kitchen floor, the living room rug,” resident Joyce Bash said. Many of the evacuated residents were taken by bus to the borough building.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Orland Park, IL – Fire at assisted living and retirement home limited by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system installed at the Lexington Health Care assisted and independent living retirement home, 14601 John Humphrey Drive, is being credited with saving lives and helping to significantly minimize damage caused by a small fire there this morning.

The fire started in the basement maintenance area of the assisted living home just after 8 am on Tuesday, April 5, 2016. Investigators identified the cause as a coffee maker that was located on a shelf above a desk.

The fire quickly spread to objects on and around the desk, and up the wall of the room when the water sprinkler system activated and suppressed the fire instantly.

The Orland Fire Protection District was alerted and responded to a fire alarm activation due to the sprinkler system operating. The initial crews reported a water flow alarm and investigated to find smoke in the basement with water flowing from a sprinkler head.

A fire extinguisher was used to completely extinguish the smoldering material. The smoke that was confined to the basement and workshop area was removed by firefighters using power fans.

Because the fire was controlled quickly no residents had to be moved or evacuated and normal operations were maintained throughout the incident. All floors were evaluated for hazards and deemed safe. Fire damage was limited to the desk and items on the shelves above.

“Every year at our Open House, we demonstrate how important fire sprinkler systems can for businesses, properties like assisted living centers and even in private homes in saving lives, and fighting and preventing damage caused by fires,” Orland Fire Protection District Fire Chief Michael Schofield said.

“This was a perfect example of how the sprinkler system quickly prevented the fire from spreading throughout the property, and minimized the intrusion on the lives of the residents in the home. We didn’t have to evacuate the property or disrupt the healthcare services there. We made the property safe and completely extinguished what could have been a far worse fire.”

Schofield also credited the fast response of the District’s firefighting teams. Orland Fire personnel were assisted by a fire truck and team from neighboring Tinley Park.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Rice Lake, WI – Fire at assisted living facility kept from spreading by sprinkler system; No injuries

A fire Tuesday evening, March 15, in a Rice Lake assisted living building at 415 E. South St. caused damage to part of the building. A press release from the Rice Lake Fire Department stated the fire was reported at 6:30 p.m. and 16 firefighters responded and suppressed the interior fire. The sprinkler system helped the fire from spreading. The fire was under control by 7 p.m. Sixteen residents were evacuated during the fire with help from care workers and Rice Lake Police officers. No one was injured.

The RLFD said the fire started on the outside of the building, possibly by accident from discarded smoking materials. The fire remains under investigation. A Lakeview Medical Center paramedic unit, two fire engines, one ladder truck and one fire command vehicle were called to the scene