There was smoke, but no nursing home fire

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

ADAMS

Smoke pouring from a ceiling at Raintree Manor nursing home led to the scrambling of emergency units from Warren County and surrounding communities Tuesday evening as the responders prepared for a possible evacuation of the health care facility.

However, residents of the nursing home were spared being evacuated into the bitterly cold night air as it was discovered the source of the smoke was a malfunctioning heating unit on the roof. The discovery came as scores of emergency personnel and volunteers were speeding toward the scene.

“The community-wide response was outstanding and it was obvious there is an action plan in place with our local emergency personnel,” said maintenance supervisor Tommy Adams, who traced the smoke back to the heating unit.

The fire alarm was pulled around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday when dietary department employees saw smoke pouring from an exhaust vent in the kitchen area. The presence of smoke, combined with memories of a recent fatal nursing home fire in Nashville, prompted all local fire personnel to rush to the facility. A call was also put out for all regional emergency agencies to respond to assist in a possible evacuation. The emergency call was canceled minutes later when the source of the smoke was found.

In the meantime, patients on the 200-hall, located nearest to the affected area, were moved to another area of the building as a precautionary measure to prevent any chance of smoke inhalation. The smoke was easily dissipated by using fans and the residents were moved back into their rooms by 8:15 p.m.

According to Raintree Manor community relations director Devonya King, numerous people have asked about the incident after seeing mention of an evacuation on Nashville TV news channels.

King emphasized there was never any fire nor was there an evacuation.