More than 20 hurt; hundred evacuated after fire hits Barclay Friends
WEST CHESTER » A raging inferno roared through the Barclay Friends Senior Living community late Thursday night, injuring at least 20 people and chasing more than 100 out into the cold, authorities said.
Firefighters rescued dozens from inside the burning structure, wheeling some out in their beds and wheelchairs.
At a Friday afternoon press conference officials said they still can’t put any definite numbers on any possible fatalities or a complete number of injured. They said the investigation is continuing and initial results are not expected before next week. Investigators have not yet been able to enter the fire scene because it is still burning in some spots, officials said.
Fire broke out about just before 11 p.m. at the facility on North Franklin Street and quickly went to five alarms. As many as 200 firefighters and dozens of fire trucks descended on the scene. Towering flames could be seen shooting from the structure as emergency crews arrived on the scene
Watch video from Barclay Friends Home fire.
Initial reports indicate at least 20 people were injured. At least seven patients were admitted to Paoli Hospital with conditions related to smoke inhalation. Spokeswoman Bridget Therriault said Friday the seven are in fair condition.
Firefighters battled the blaze for more than two and a half hours before it was brought under control around 1:30 a.m., but firefighters remained on the scene dousing hotspots until after daylight.
Multiple neighbors say they helped with the rescue effort, wrapping the elderly in blankets and carrying them to ambulances in makeshift gurneys.
An investigation into what caused the blaze is underway.
Cause of the fire remains under investigation. Initial reports indicate it may have started in a unit used to care for patients with memory problems.
Firefighters battled the blaze for more than four hours, finally bringing it under control at 1:22 a.m. Much of the three-story structure was destroyed. At a 3 p.m. press briefing Friday, officials said the investigation is ongoing, but said they likely would not have any information in terms of any fatalities or the full number of injured until early next week.
Local investigators are being joined by as many as 25 agents from the Philadelphia and Reading bureaus of federal department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. A national response team also is on the way to join the investigation.
Officials said they still have not been able to enter the fire scene because it is still burning in some spots.
Borough Police Chief Scott Bohn said that the wind “helped” keep the blaze from further destroying the home. The north side of the structure went unscathed, while the wind blew to the south.
The L-shaped main building is part of a campus of several buildings.
Bohn said that county emergency responders had practiced for just such a situation. He praised the great working relationships and partnerships.
Those with injuries were shuttled to local hospitals. Initial reports indicate at least 20 people taken to local hospitals, with most going to Chester County Hospital in the borough.
Friends and family were being directed to Goodwill Fire House for information on loved ones who were residents at the center. About 3 a.m. a couple dozen Barclay residents were gathered at the fire house, where they waited to hear from family and friends.
Emergency responders were dispatched at 10:46 p.m. to the senior center at 700 N. Franklin Street for a smoke investigation, said firefighter and spokesman Dave March. They immediately began rescuing residents from inside the burning structure, including many still in their beds and wheelchairs.
Watch: Staff get to work during Barclay Friends Home fire
At one point as many as 200 firefighters from more than two dozen local fire companies, along with scores of pieces of equipment were on the scene.
With temperatures that dipped into the 30s, some residents sat bundled up for more than an hour while awaiting a ride on one of more than three dozen ambulances, or a bus, in a line of emergency responders that stretched more than 300 yards on North Franklin Street. Many residents were covered in blankets from head to toe, with just their eyes visible.
Employees were joined by neighbors who converged on the scene to help the residents, who were bundled against the cold.
While the fire continued to burn, discarded wheelchairs were scattered along the street and a pile of blankets littered the sidewalk.
The fire remains under investigation by local, state and county fire officials.
Friday morning the president and CEO of Kendal, the parent company of Barclay Friends, issued the following statement:
“We are so, so sad to report that last night there was a tragic fire at Barclay Friends, a Kendal Affiliate in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Despite a swift, effective, and compassionate response by first responders, along with Barclay Friends staff and so many volunteers, the physical loss is devastating and the emotional toll, even more so,” said Sean Kelly.
“In time, we’ll know more about what happened, what’s to be done going forward, and how we can all hold Barclay Friends and its people up through this devastation and into the future.”
The Barclay Friends Home has been a West Chester institution since the mid-1930s, when a Quaker-affiliated senior care organization purchased a mansion on North Church Street that had been known as the Joshua Hartshorne Estate, after its original owner. The boarding home for the elderly expanded over the years but was sold after the senior care facility moved to the present location in North Franklin Street in 1997.
“As the day and weekend goes on, residents from Barclay Friends now dispersed over many different communities in and around Chester County will rest, begin to heal, and commence with the longer range planning to support more permanent transitions as they may be needed,” Kelly said. “Kendal and Barclay Friends staff will do this work together with the residents and their families. Our teams, over time, will also be aided by the numbers of friends and colleagues from Pennsylvania and all over the United States who have reached out and want to help.
“Again, our hearts go out to the residents, their families, the staff and their families at Barclay Friends. All of our thoughts and prayers will continue to be vital, as well as will the continuance of good work and outpouring of support that emerged last night and has sustained us through the morning hours.
“As we know more we will be sure to deliver updates. In the meantime, we are heartbroken by what’s befallen Barclay Friends and uplifted by the caring and generosity that surrounds them and us.
West Chester University Presidnt Chris Fiorentino released the following statement Friday morning: “Interim Director of Public Safety Jon Brill, who is the emergency coordinator for WCU and the borough, was at the scene of the fire at 10:50 p.m. last night and worked with emergency responders from the borough and throughout the area. As the University is part of a collaborative emergency response network, approximately 40 seniors were brought to Ehinger Gym.
“At Ehinger, the Red Cross and those at Barclay have coordinated efforts to move approximately 40 seniors to area healthcare facilities where their needs can be met. All seniors have been moved as of now.