January 31, 2008 03:51 pm
—
The speedy reaction of a nursing home staff coupled with rapid response of city firefighters averted a disaster at WyndRidge health care facility Wednesday night when an exhaust fan sparked a small fire, officials said.
The fire occurred around 9 p.m. in the Alzheimer's section of the facility in a restroom that serves adjoining rooms, acting Fire Chief Chris South said at the scene. The motor that operates the fan failed but kept trying to start up, causing the unit to overheat and catch some ceiling tiles on fire. The tiles burned for a very brief period of time and then fell to the floor of the restroom, setting off a fire alarm.
"The staff reacted quickly and found the fire and evacuated the two rooms immediately," South said. "Then they evacuated the rest of the room and everyone is safe. There were no injuries and the fire was quickly extinguished. Most of what we are dealing with is a lot of smoke in the bathroom area."
Three units from the Cumberland County Emergency Medical Services were dispatched to the scene and the crew of one unit remained on the scene for several minutes, helping facility staff check patients and to make sure everyone was OK. There were no injuries.
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.
Photos
Crossville Firefighter Bill Garrison is pictured framed by a window in one of the two rooms affected by Wednesday night's fire at WyndRidge. No injuries were reported and most of the damage was caused by smoke.