LEXINGTON, Mass. —
Upwards of 130 nursing home residents in Lexington were forced to evacuate after a power failure to the building spurred a massive emergency response late Saturday.
"It looks kind of chaotic, but it's actually a synchronized process," said Chief Derek Sencabaugh of the Lexington Fire Department.
First responders from Lexington and surrounding areas descended on the nursing home to help facilitate the response.
The facility, CareOne at Lexington, had been experiencing power failures over the last few days, before it experienced another major failure on Saturday evening. All power to the building on Lowell Street has now been cut off, as crews work to determine the cause of the issues.
Dozens of ambulance services from across the state, including as far as North Andover and Gloucester, helped transport residents to neighboring nursing facilities where they spent the night.
According to Sencabaugh, a "couple" of residents who needed acute care were taken to the hospital out of an abundance of caution, while some families picked up their loved ones living at the facility.
A facility maintenance worker was also taken to the hospital after he was shocked, Sencabaugh said, adding that the worker is expected to be okay.
The fire department ordered the power to be turned off in the building and is working to determine what is causing the power issues.
"Everyone is working real hard now; it just got a little harder with the darkness, but everyone is really doing a great job," Sencabaugh said.
Officials from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, the Lexington Department of Public Health, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services responded to the scene.
CareOne released a statement saying:
"A street-level power failure impacted our facility. To ensure the continued stability of all residents, individuals were relocated to other facilities equipped with full power and the resources necessary to support uninterrupted care. CareOne staff will accompany and assist residents throughout the relocation process, providing continuous oversight, medical support, and reassurance. We are working closely with local authorities and utility providers as they address the outage and restore service to the area. We would like to thank all of the staff, local authorities and first responders who have aided in this effort."
According to its website, CareOne at Lexington offers both short-term and long-term skilled nursing and rehabilitation care.
The timeline for when residents may be able to return to the building is still uncertain.
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