Firefighters quickly extinguish raging propane fire at Middletown nursing home
Heavy smoke and flames from what fire officials say was an outdoor propane fire threatened to evacuate residents at Highland Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Middletown.
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Heavy smoke and flames from what fire officials say was an outdoor propane fire on Sunday threatened to evacuate residents at Highland Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Middletown.
Viewer video given to News 12 captured the conditions as flames and black smoke shot up the side of the building and shows smoke in the first-floor hallway of the facility on Highland Avenue.
The building’s administrator, Alec Schneider, says about a dozen residents on the side of the building closest to the fire had to be moved because of the smoke, and that the fire started in an outdoor storage area where flammables like propane tanks, paint and gasoline are kept.
Orange County Fire Coordinator Vini Tankasali says rescuers were able to get the fire under control quickly before residents had to be evacuated.
“They were able to clear the smoke. It could’ve been worse, but they were able to control it,” says Tankasali.
Officials say the blaze started shortly before 1 p.m. Viewer video shows it damaged part of the back of the building.
Neighbors saw some of the commotion.
“By the time we saw it, the fire trucks were here, and they had it under control,” says James McFadden, who lives across the street. “I’m glad they got it under control This is a historical block and these houses are actually pretty precious to the owners.”
The blaze is the second fire at an Orange County nursing home within days.
Tankasali describes the most recent incident as a propane fire and says the cause remains under investigation.
Schneider says no one was hurt and repairs are already underway.
