Lives Saved By Care Home Response

Firefighters said a swift response from the emergency services saved the lives of 60 people during a major fire at a care home. Residents and members of staff were removed from Douglas View care centre in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire.

Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service said all 89 residents were accounted for after the early morning fire. Chief fire officer Brian Sweeney said the blaze was a “very, very serious and well-developed fire”. Nine residents and a care worker were taken to hospital suffering from the effects of smoke.

The home, run by Southern Cross Healthcare, cares for elderly, frail people and younger physically disabled people who need help with daily living but do not need full-time nursing care. It can house up to 100 patients on short and long-term stay.

A spokesman for the ambulance service said nine residents were being treated for smoke inhalation at Hairmyres Hospital and one member of staff was in Wishaw General. There were 89 residents and 15 staff in the home at the time of the fire. A total of 16 fire crews attended and an investigation into the cause was getting under way.

Mr Sweeney said: “About 60 people were trapped in bedrooms and corridors. Sixteen firefighters wearing breathing apparatus went into the building – they rescued 60 people in bedrooms in corridors and under beds. It is too early to speculate on the cause. A very prompt response saved the lives of those 60 people.”

A fleet of patient transport minibuses arrived at the scene to take the pensioners to alternative accommodation. Efforts were also made to reassure worried relatives who had rushed to the scene.

South Lanarkshire Council said it was making temporary accommodation available for residents.