Some residents of the Hythe & District Pioneer Home had to be evacuated early Tuesday morning after a fire broke out in one of their suites. Hythe Volunteer Fire Department Chief Edward Woloszyn says they were called to the seniors home just after 2 a.m. and found a mattress on fire.
The entire east wing was evacuated, and people in the other wings were either moved outside or as far away from the fire as possible. Woloszyn has commended staff for how smoothly the evacuation went, saying they did an “admirable job”.
One resident was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure, and the home says everyone else was safe. They have thanked the fire department, EMS, and RCMP for “going above and beyond” to keep their residents safe.
They add that life is back to normal in the building today. Woloszyn says the fire damage was minimal and limited to the mattress itself and the bed’s box spring and bedding. An investigation into the cause is still underway.
The province has committed to installing sprinkler systems in all government-owned seniors lodges by 2019, and Woloszyn says that work is underway.
