[Update Monday, 8:55 a.m.] – Chief Terry Bell said that the fire at Edgewood Rehabilitation & Living Center is believed to have originated in a ceiling light/fan unit.
Bell said that investigators had pinpointed the ceiling unit, located in a bathroom, after examining the building and speaking with staff members. The fire is believed to be accidental in nature.
The midday fire drew more than 70 firefighters as well as a number of other first responders to 228 Fairbanks Road. Bell said Monday that the building’s sprinkler system had activated, preventing the fire from spreading quickly.
“The sprinklers really did what sprinklers are supposed to do,” Bell said.
Residents were transported via Regional School Unit 9 buses to Mt. Blue High School, where Edgewood and school staff, as well as emergency personnel and volunteers, worked to stockpile food and medical supplies in the gym. A few residents went home with their families, while others were placed at nearby living centers. The remaining few residents departed the gym last night and the facility was cleaned and is available for student use this morning.
[Update 3:58 p.m.] – A fire in the attic of Edgewood Rehabilitation & Living Center forced more than 40 residents to evacuate the building this afternoon. Regional School Unit 9 buses transported the residents to the Mt. Blue Campus.
According to Farmington Fire Rescue Chief Terry Bell, the building sustained water and fire damage. Franklin County Emergency Management Agency Deputy Director Amanda Simoneau said the team was unsure as of Sunday afternoon how long the building would need to remain closed.
“The ultimate goal is not be here [Mt. Blue] overnight,” Simoneau said.
Residents of Edgewood filled the gymnasium, sitting on bleachers or in their wheelchairs. In addition to EMA, assisting teams included NorthStar EMS, Farmington Police Department, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and a number of local fire departments. Food and medical supplies were being gathered on site.
Simoneau said there are a number of mutual aid facilities for the residents to go to if needed, but they would have to be split up. Some were sent home to family members. If necessary, cots and bedding will be set up in the gym for the night.
Mt. Blue will still be open for school tomorrow; if residents need to remain on campus the gym will be closed for use by students.
“Overall this has been a successful evacuation. There were no injuries during the evacuation or the transportation,” Simoneau said.
[Update 3:02 p.m. – Route 4 & 27 has been reopened to all traffic]
FARMINGTON – More than 40 residents of Edgewood Rehabilitation & Living Center were transported to Mt. Blue High School Sunday afternoon, after a fire spread through the attic of the building.
The fire was reported around noon Sunday, with three alarms eventually going out for personnel. First responders worked with Edgewood staff to evacuate the building, located at 228 Fairbanks Road, as a thin smoke could be seen rising from the roof. Residents waited on the lawn in the shade of trees, many seated in wheelchairs, as firefighters ran hoses up the driveway. At one point, a firefighter brought a cat out of the building, leading to applause from staff and residents.
Forty-two residents are believed to have been staying at the rehabilitation and living center when the fire occurred. Wheelchair-accessible buses from Regional School Unit 9 were driven to Edgewood to transport the displaced people to Mt. Blue High School, where medical supplies and foodstuffs are being gathered. Edgewood and NorthStar EMS personnel are at the school now.
According to Farmington Fire Rescue Chief Terry Bell, the fire was out by 1 p.m. The building sustained water damage from both the firefighting effort and its sprinkler system, which did engage. The attic has also been damaged by fire, Bell said, but he did not know how significant or how far along the building the fire spread.
The fire may have been electrical in nature, Bell said, noting that State Fire Marshal’s Office personnel would be arriving at the scene shortly. Bell said he was unaware of any injuries to residents or staff resulting from the fire.
Route 4 & 27 is currently blocked, with Farmington Police Department and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office on scene for traffic control.
Responding departments to both Edgewood and Mt. Blue included Farmington, Wilton, Jay, Strong, New Vineyard, New Sharon, Temple, Chesterville, Livermore Falls, Phillips and Industry.
Sending out prayers to all the staff and residents!~ Please keep us posted if there is anything the community can do..especially providing places for residents to stay if needed!
Oh and DEEP GRATITUDE to all the first responders..I was downtown as you were going by..we are blessed to have such an amazing community resource when we need it❤️
That was the most excitement the residents have had in a long time. Glad none were hurt, and they will be talking about this for a very long time.
Glad there were no injuries. A nursing homes worst nightmare.
This is so scary. So happy everyone is safe.
Thank you to all our local rescue personnel and for all the other communities that came to assist. We are so fortunate to live in an area where so many care! Thank you so much for all that you do!
In addition to the excellent work of all of the emergency personnel, I think we need to recognize the work of the staff of Edgewood in their work to evacuate as well as the RSU9 bus drivers who were roused from their homes to join the group efforts to bring very vulnerable folks to safety. A huge community effort and a giant thank you!
So proud of our first responders , and the staff at Edgewood Manor. It takes a lot of people to evacuate that many residents/ clients to another facility. A big hand to everyone involved.
A remarkable job by a significant number of remarkable people! Thanks to each and everyone of you.
In addition to the above sentiments, I’d like to add a big thank you to Basil’s Pizza in Farmington.
We hadn’t been at the high school very long when they showed up with a stack of delicious pizzas. The thoughtfulness and generosity was very much appreciated!
Thank you to the amazing staff
at Orchard Park Nursing Home for
transporting residents,and helping with
residents where needed.
I know for a fact the fire drills are performed at Edgewood on a routine basis, and it paid off yesterday.
We did however forget to include one “big” part of the family in our drills.
Thanks to the Farmington Fire Department from everyone at Edgewood for taking the time and going back in to hunt for Edgewood’s superstar cat Tom Brady. He is loved by residents, family members, and staff alike.
It was a concentrated effort yesterday by a lot of folks to move a great bunch of very loved people to safety. We appreciate it. Very much so….
We saw amazing support from our community. Employees from several nursing facilities in the area, previous employees of the facility, employees from receiving facilities to transport residents to their temporary homes and so many more volunteers offered their help. So much help in fact that we really couldn’t find use for all the volunteers. The assistance from the employees at MBHS, the willingness of them to provide use of their facity and equipment. The bus drivers who transported residents and staff to the high school. So many people willing to help take care of the elders of our community. The willingness of other nursing facilities around the state of Maine to accomadate housing for Edgewood residents was unbelievable. And of course the foster home for our beloved cat Thomas Brady. The staff at Edgewood can’t thank everyone enough for the outpouring of this community to provide the support that you gave during this difficult time.
Glad everyone is safe! Thankful for your first responders!