Attic Fire Forces Evacuation of Iowa Senior Home
Source Ad Express & Daily Iowegian (Centerville, Iowa)
CENTERVILLE — Area emergency personnel were dispatched to the Golden Age Care Center in Centerville Tuesday morning.
A 911 call was received around 3:16 a.m. reporting a possible fire at the Golden Age Care Center. Centerville Fire Department arrived on scene three minutes later, with other emergency responders arriving shortly after.
Upon arrival, according to a press release form the Centerville Fire Department, firefighters discovered moderate smoke in the building but no fire.
Evacuation efforts of residents in the smoke-filled areas began as firefighters began search for the source of the smoke. They eventually found a small fire in the attic space above the administrative offices. The fire, according to the press release, was quickly extinguished.
No fire was visible from outside the nursing home.
Fire chief Mike Bogle says the fire was believed to have been accidental, possibly caused by an electrical malfunction in the ceiling.
The Centerville Fire Department responded with Mercy Ambulance, Wayne County Ambulance, Moulton Ambulance, Mystic Fire Department, ADLM emergency management and Mystic first responders. Law enforcement officers from the Appanoose County Sheriff's Office, Iowa State Patrol and the Centerville Police Department were also on scene, as well as other EMS responders from the area.
Buses from the Centerville Community School District were called to assist as a precautionary measure in the event evacuation of the 55 residents at the facility were required. However, no such evacuations took place.
The fire command center had reported the fire was under control at approximately 4:30 a.m. By 4:49 a.m., emergency responders began being released. Centerville Fire Department reported all trucks were clear from the scene and back at the station around 5:10 a.m.
Scanner communication from the fire department indicated that the nursing home's alarm system would be out of service and fire watch was in effect.
No injuries were reported from the incident. Residents were eventually allowed to return to their rooms.
Golden Age Care Center Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation is located on the southern edge of Centerville, on South 18th Street (Highway 5.)
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