All Patients Removed From LI Nursing Home After Fire: Police

NORTH FORK, NY — All patients are being removed and relocated to alternate care facilities after a fire Monday morning at a Long Island nursing home Monday, police said.

The New York State Department of Health ordered the relocation of the patients, Southold Town police said.

Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services, along with the Southold Police Department, were on the scene Monday night assisting the Department of Health in facilitating the safe and orderly transfer of patients.

A fire broke out at a nursing home on the North Fork earlier in the day during Monday's nor'easter, officials said.

According to Southold Town Police Chief Steve Grattan, a fire broke out at about 4:30 a.m. at San Simeon by the Sound Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation on County Route 48 in Greenport.

An employee at San Simeon contacted police about smoke conditions in the west wing; officers responded and observed smoke in a hallway that is believed to have originated in a resident's bathroom, Grattan said.

The Greenport Fire Department and other fire departments responded; fire officials were trying to discover the source of the smoke, Grattan said. It's believed that an air handler in the HVAC system may have ignited but was soon extinguished, police said.

Meanwhile, 16 residents from the west wing were evacuated at 4:30 a.m. during the nor'easter, Grattan said; those residents were "a little shaken up," but no injuries were reported, he said.

However, a few ambulatory residents who were on oxygen were transported to local hospitals; four were taken to Eastern Long Island Hospital, and three, to Peconic Bay Medical Center, he said.

An additional nine residents were taken to Peconic Landing for precautionary measures; arrangements were being made Monday morning to bring all the residents back to San Simeon, Grattan said, with additional rooms being allocated to those whose rooms may have sustained damage.

During the investigation, some sheet rock was torn down but no damage was fire-related, Grattan said.

This was a coordinated effort involving the Southold Town police, numerous local fire departments, and resources from Suffolk County and community partners that included Peconic Landing, Suffolk County Transit and Suffolk County Fire, Rescue & Emergency Services, police said.

Resources from a variety of agencies are working with the facility operators to provide assistance ensuring the residents of the facility are being cared for and the facility returns to normal operations, police said.

Any inquiries in regards to the status of a family member or resident should be directed to San Simeon at 631-477-2110.

Responding Agencies included the Greenport, East Marion, Southold, Cutchogue, and Mattituck, Fire Departments, the Shelter Island Ambulance Foundation, the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and Flanders Northampton Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Also responding where the NYSD EMS, Suffolk County fire marshals, and Suffolk County Transit/Sunrise Bus.