Whitby nursing home evacuated due to fire

CTV Toronto: Flames erupt at seniors home Hundreds of residents of a Whitby long-term care home are homeless after a morning blaze. Paul Bliss reports.

Nearly 200 seniors were rushed out of a nursing home in Whitby, Ont. after the building caught fire on Monday morning.

The fire started shortly before 10 a.m. at Fairview Lodge, located at 632 Dundas St. W. near Cochrane Street, Whitby Fire Services said.

The building was quickly evacuated when the fire started, and seniors were brought to nearby St. John the Evangelist Church. None of the seniors were injured, and all 192 residents have been accounted for, Durham region police said.

Two staff members were taken to hospital with minor injuries, Whitby Fire Chief Dave Speed told CTV Toronto.

At least eight fire trucks are on scene, including trucks from the Ajax and Oshawa fire departments. Speed said the fire has been contained to the back wing of the home, and they're trying to keep it from spreading to the main section. It has not spread to a recently-built section of the nursing home complex.

"It seems like it's up in the roof section so right now it's difficult to get to the seat of the fire," Speed said.

"We're trying to vent through the roof and allow the fire to break through so we can apply water directly."

Speed said he expects it will take several hours to extinguish the fire and investigate its cause.

Residents in the area have been advised to keep their windows closed due to heavy smoke drifting from the fire. Schools in the area were also told to keep students inside until further notice.

Due to smoke, students from E.A. Fairman Public School transported to Donald A. Wilson Secondary School by bus. No students are in danger, but the school was evacuated as a precaution, Speed said.