A fire at a Mount Carmel Nursing Home drew a response from Schuylkill County Fire and EMS on Saturday morning.
Around 7:45am, Saturday, emergency personnel were dispatched to the Mount Carmel Senior Living Community Center, at 2616 Locust Gap Highway in Mount Carmel for a working structure fire.
The first personnel at the scene advised of heavy smoke coming from the front of the nursing home.
The fire was upgraded to a 3rd Alarm and a mass casualty incident was declared calling in additional units from Schuylkill County including fire personnel from Ashland, Englewood, and Mahanoy City.
Multiple EMS was also requested from Ashland, Shenandoah, and Mahanoy City. In total, 14 EMS unit responded to the scene to help with transporting victims.
The fire was brought under control within an hour, but the fire had filled the front section of the Nursing Home with smoke. The residents were moved to a different section of the facility and those needing medical attention were transported.
In total 12 residents, 3 staff, and 5 firefighters were transported to the hospital following this call.
All Schuylkill units were back in the county within 2 hours of the dispatch. Due to the strain on EMS in northern Schuylkill County, all County EMS became involved and helped cover EMS that responded to the scene.
