Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Wilkes-Barre, PA – Overnight fire in senior living center extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported November 26, 2018 viking210 City Fire Chief Jay Delaney said Wednesday a commercial dryer fire forced the evacuation of 61 residents from a senior living facility on North Sherman Street late Tuesday. Residents returned to North Penn Manor at approximately 1 a.m. Wednesday, about three hours after the fire broke out in the laundry area of the facility. Delaney praised building staff for a “well-coordinated evacuation” of residents, many wearing nightgowns and bed clothing when the fire broke out at about 10 p.m. Tuesday. Residents initially were outside in two separate parking lots in cold temperatures. A sprinkler system extinguished the blaze that was contained to the laundry room. Delaney said after conversing with the code enforcement office, it was decided it was safe for residents to go inside another part of the building. “The staff did an excellent job at removing the residents in an orderly manner,” the chief said. “Given the time of night, residents were outside in nightgowns and bed clothing and hypothermia could quickly set in. After meeting with the city code enforcement, it was (determined to be) safe to place them in another wing of the building.” Residents were then moved next door where the Wyoming Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross has its building. No injuries were reported. Ambulance companies from Hanover Township, Kingston and Plains Township plus TransMed assisted at the scene.
