Nighttime fire in western P.E.I. seniors home forces evacuation to nearby legion

A fire inside a seniors home in western P.E.I. forced 47 residents from the building on Monday night, but there were no reports of serious injuries.

Desmond Arsenault, spokesman for the Wellington Fire Department, said soon after the fire was reported at 9:40 p.m. at the Chez Nous long-term care facility, firefighters, police and many local residents arrived at the scene to help residents evacuated from the building.

“There were neighbours and family members, and even my wife came out and helped,” Arsenault said Tuesday. “Even some of the staff who weren’t on duty were showing up to help co-ordinate this whole scenario.”

Arsenault said many of the residents were frightened and confused as they were led outside, some of them dressed in their nightclothes.

“It was unnerving to see this unfold, to see the fear in their eyes,” he said. “They were just woken from their sleep and they were startled.”

The Canadian Red Cross said in a statement that at least one resident was over 100 years old.

At the time, the temperature was hovering around the freezing mark.

“They were shuffling as fast as they could,” Arsenault said. “They’re weren’t sure where to go or what to do.”

The residents were quickly loaded into private vehicles, police cars, ambulances and eight school buses before being shuttled to the nearby Royal Canadian Legion.

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Firefighters from Miscouche, Tyne Valley and New London were called in to fight the fire, which caused extensive smoke damage. The fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.

According to the Canadian Red Cross, the fire damage was mostly confined to the basement, kitchen and lobby area but there was heavy smoke throughout the one-storey complex. It’s not yet known how long cleanup and repairs will take or when residents will be allowed to return.

Canadian Red Cross volunteers loaned many of the residents wheelchairs, walkers, canes and other mobility and safety devices that had to be left behind in the evacuation.

The residents were eventually taken to a hotel in Woodstock, P.E.I.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 19, 2021.

— With files from Karla Renic.