Deathtrap nurse home fires staff

A FLORIDA nursing home that was shut down after 12 residents died following Hurricane Irma has laid off its workers.

In a letter, the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills notified the state that it let 245 employees go on Sept. 20, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

The laid-off employees include dozens of nurses, physical therapists, doctors, administrative assistants and others, according to the Sept. 27 letter.

It said the center couldn’t provide a 60-day notice letting workers know about layoffs because of “unforeseen business circumstances that occurred after the impact of Hurricane Irma.”

The state closed the nursing home after eight residents died from sweltering heat on Sept. 13 due to Irma knocking out the center’s air-conditioning system.

Four more people later died, and the Hollywood Police Department has launched a criminal investigation into the deaths.

Gov. Rick Scott, in a Sept. 25 statement, blasted the nursing home for failing to evacuate their patients or call 911.

The governor also said that in calls between nursing home administrators and state officials, the center’s staff didn’t indicate that anyone was in danger.