A fire at Davco Personal Care Home on West 10th Street displaced 89 residents early Thursday morning , but no injuries were reported thanks to a swift response from staff and firefighters, according to Owensboro Fire Department officials.
The department received an automatic fire alarm call around 12:30 a.m. from the facility at 2526 W. 10th St., and while en route, an employee reported that there was an active fire inside. OFD officials said engine 3 was nearby and responded quickly, arriving within minutes.
“When first units arrived, they found light smoke and traced it to the West Wing near the rear of the structure,” said Battalion Chief Steve Leonard. “They located a resident room that was fully involved with fire. It had extended slightly into the attic and down the hallway.”
Leonard said firefighters made a fast interior attack while simultaneously working to evacuate the building.
“There were 89 residents in the facility. Some were already on the far end of the building, but our priority was making sure everyone was safely out,” Leonard said. “Fortunately, all residents were evacuated without injury.”
The fire was quickly extinguished, and Leonard credited the facility’s sprinkler system and automatic alarm system for helping limit the spread.
“This could’ve been a lot worse,” Leonard said. “The sprinklers activated, and the automatic alarms gave us a heads-up. That, paired with a fast response, really helped us keep the fire confined to one room, with only some extension into the attic and down the hall.”
While the fire itself was contained to one resident room, there was extensive smoke and water damage in that wing of the building. As a result, all residents were temporarily relocated to a sister facility owned by Davco in Bowling Green.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Leonard said heavy damage in the room of origin has made it difficult to determine whether the blaze started from an appliance, power strip, or another source.
One resident was in the room at the time of the fire but was able to escape safely, according to Leonard.
Despite the challenges, Leonard said the incident was handled effectively.
“Everything went according to plan. The crews did a fantastic job of keeping the fire from spreading to the rest of the building,” he said.
