Davie Place Fire, Mocksville, 2007

Last Updated: 06/08/09

Most Residents Unable To Leave Facility On Their Own

•Patients were checked for heart attack symptoms. It was a wild night for the elderly people — many of them awakened by the 10:19 p.m. blast. Some were dragged out. Some were hoisted by policemen and rushed out. Some walked out barefoot, in their pajamas Dowdy was one of 10 from Davie Place admitted to the hospital after the fire. Four more were kept at the hospital because there wasn’t space available elsewhere.

•Davie County Enterprise and Record 2007

1 dead, 19 injured in fire at North Carolina nursing home

Last Updated: Tuesday, March 13, 2007 | 5:31 AM ET

The Associated Press

A fire at a North Carolina nursing home killed one person and injured 19, authorities said early Tuesday. The fire, which occurred just after 10 p.m. Monday at Davie Place Residential Care in Mocksville was first reported to authorities as an explosion.

However, Beth Dirks, assistant county manager for Davie County, said that was not immediately confirmed. Of the 19 injured, four were in critical condition, Dirks said. The injured were sent to area hospitals while others were taken to Hilltop Assisted Living in nearby Davidson County, she said. In addition to the residents who were injured, two police officers were treated for smoke inhalation, she said.

About 50 residents were in the home when the fire broke out, along with staff members, she said. No staff members were injured.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known. "We're getting ready to conduct an investigation," Dirks said, adding that local authorities were waiting for the State Bureau of Investigation to arrive to handle that investigation.

Dirks was uncertain about the amount of damage to the building but said it was still standing.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/03/13/nursing-home-070313.html

Arson ruled out in fatal nursing home fire

MOCKSVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Investigators searching the ruins of an adult care home where a fire killed one resident and injured 19 don't believe the blaze was arson, a local official said Tuesday.

The fire broke out just after 10 p.m. Monday at Davie Place Residential Care in Mocksville, N.C.

The cause of the fire wasn't yet known but a preliminary investigation indicated it wasn't set intentionally, Assistant Davie County Manager Beth Dirks said Tuesday. Four residents were critically injured. "We're sympathetic to the family members, and they have our sincerest thoughts and prayers," she said.

The fire scorched the front wing of the one-story brick building and left gaping holes in the roof, exposing torched furniture and mangled metal. The blaze started in an older wing that didn't have sprinklers and wasn't required to have them, said William Whaley, director of facilities management in Davie County.

"I'm just in pieces," said Mary McSwain, a housekeeper at the facility. The home's license had been renewed in December. It was cited in November for not providing therapeutic diets, but no major violations had been reported, said Jim Jones, a spokesman for the state Department of Health and Human Services. The agency licenses and inspects adult care homes statewide.

"It looks like it is a place that doesn't have all that much trouble," he said. The facility, about 25 miles southwest of Winston-Salem, N.C., housed 49 residents, including five under age 50 and eight over 85, Jones said.

He said such homes offer assisted living, but not the 24-hour care and services offered at nursing homes. Nineteen residents were treated at hospitals, and four remained in critical condition Tuesday at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, Dirks said. The victim was identified as George Minor of Mocksville. His age was not released. Two police officers were also treated for smoke inhalation.

In a written statement, Daniel Tuttle, identified as the facility owner, thanked emergency workers and Davie Place employees for responding quickly to the fire but didn't address the cause of the blaze or provide details of its investigation.

Tuttle didn't return a message left at his office Tuesday afternoon.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-13-nursing-home-explosion_N.htm

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