Fire Displaces Elderly Residents of Care Facility, One Hospitalized

-By Bay City News

Five elderly residents of a small care facility in Walnut Creek were displaced by a kitchen fire that filled the house with smoke and sent one of the residents to the hospital Monday night, fire officials said.

The fire at the care facility at 36 Bai Gorry Place, near Treat Boulevard and Carondelet High School in Concord, was reported at 8:05 p.m., Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Fire Marshal Lewis Broschard said.

The stove first caught fire, and that extended to the cabinets in the kitchen, filling the single-story home with smoke. That was particularly problematic for the home's five residents who were bedridden or wheelchair-bound and could not leave the home on their own.

Firefighters arrived with a one-alarm response, including 15 firefighters, and extra ambulances to help with the possibility of rescuing the at-risk residents, Broschard said. But most got out safely, with one resident transported to the hospital with complaints of difficulty breathing for evaluation.

The fire was very quickly contained. The remaining four residents were relocated to other assisted living facilities run by the same owner. The fire caused between $30,000 and $40,000 in damage, mainly to the kitchen. Because the home is a licensed care facility, it will not be able to operate until the kitchen is fully repaired, Broschard said.

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