A “Kink” In The Electrical Line Suspected Cause Of Small Fire At Hope Street Terrace.
Director of Communications with Southbridge Care Homes Inc., Patrick Moore said all residents were returned to Hope Street Terrace on Wednesday, August 8, 2018.
The long term care facility was evacuated due to a small fire which extinguished itself, but the residual smoke and loss of power to the facility on Tuesday.
On Wednesday at approximately 1 p.m. residents were brought back to the facility after power was restored.
“Staff followed all of the protocols put in place and all our residents are safe and doing well,” said Moore.
“The cause of the smoke event was a high-resistance connection at a 200 amp fuseable switch for the kitchen. Basically, there was a kink in the electrical line that caused the resistance.”
“Based on a recommendation from electricians, we will avoid future issues at our homes by conducting an annual thermal imaging scan.”
Moore also gave praise for the “speed and skill in carrying out our emergency and evacuation plan and for the personal attention they gave to each resident to ensure they felt safe and cared for during this time.”
“We at Southbridge Care Homes are proud of how the staff at the two homes handled themselves during this event.”
Northumberland County Paramedics had several crews on scene throughout the incident on Tuesday.
Northumberland County Chief Bill Detlor said, “all the agencies involved did an exemplary job. It was a huge task to get 94 out of a facility and do it as safely as possible with no power.”
Initially paramedic crews were called to the incident for standby in case they were needed for any medical needs.
Six different paramedic crews were there throughout the day until approximately 8 p.m. when the building was fully evacuated.
Ten residents were taken to hospital because their needs could not be met at the Port Hope Rec Centre.
“There were a lot of resources there and a lot of cooperation and collaboration with various agencies,” said Northumberland County Paramedics Deputy Chief John Lindsay.
Port Hope Transit, Golden Plough Lodge and Community Care Northumberland all provided buses to transport the residents to the Port Hope Rec Centre.
A small fire caused major problems at a long term care facility in Port Hope on Tuesday, August 7, 2018.
Shortly after 2 p.m. firefighters were called to 20 Hope Street South at the Hope Street Terrace facility.
The report came in that smoke was showing in the electrical room and alarms were sounding.
Deputy Fire Chief Reno Levesque said when fire crews arrived the fire had extinguished itself inside the electrical room.
Preliminary investigation revealed the power went out to the facility which houses 97 residences and when the back up generator kicked in the fire started.
As a result of the fire, power to the entire facility was knocked out.
Fire crews worked to clear the smoke in the first floor hallway, and residents of that floor were evacuated. The second and third floor residents were told to shelter in place.
Using generators from their fire trucks, fans were set up in locations in the building for residents.
Two residents were taken to hospital as a precaution, not as a result of the fire but because of medical issues they had previous to the fire.
“The main reason for the evacuation was there is no power in the facility,” said Levesque.
There is no significant fire damage or smoke to the facility.
“It’s a big inconvenience to the people that are here, but we have to get them out of their homes (apartments).”
Port Hope Fire Department along with other emergency services regularly train for major incidents, but thankfully this wasn’t a emergency evacuation.
“The shelter in place gave us time to get a plan together and coordinate buses and emergency shelter at the Town Park Rec Centre.”
A transit bus from Port Hope and a bus from the Golden Plough Lodge were used to transport the residents.
St. John Ambulance and the Red Cross met the residents at the Port Hope Rec Centre for supper and made them as comfortable as possible.
“It’s hot out and it’s tough on the firefighters,” said Levesque.
One firefighter did suffer from heat exhaustion and was treated by Northumberland County Paramedics but not sent to hospital.
Inspectors with the Electrical Safety Authority started their investigation while the building was being evacuated. It’s possible the residents could be allowed back into the building tonight, but there is no confirmation at press time.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
