1 Dead, 2 Injured In Woodbury Senior Care Facility Fire
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 77-year-old man is dead after a fire broke out at a senior care facility in Woodbury early Friday morning.
According to Washington County Dispatch, officials received a call at 4:17 a.m. of a fire at Woodbury Healthcare Center, located in the 7000 block of Lake Road.
Woodbury Public Information Officer Michelle Okada said investigators confirmed the fire was initiated and contained to the unit where Russel W. Johnson was found dead, though heavy smoke billowed through the rest of the building.
Seventy-one residents were evacuated out of the center. Two of them are being treated for smoke inhalation.
When Rose Hernandez learned her mother's assisted living center had caught fire, she couldn't get there fast enough.
"I got up, got dressed, I said, 'If she's okay, I'm going to take her home,'" she told WCCO.
Some of Ardith Pearl's family friends live in the facility.
"It was pretty scary, they're both on oxygen,'" she said, noting the danger of explosion.
A fire fighter is also being treated for smoke inhalation.
The fire is now out, and residents were allowed to re-enter the building at 7:45 a.m. Nine residents are living in another part of the complex while their homes are repaired.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. Woodbury Public Safety and State Fire Marshalls are investigating the cause of the fire. Officials say the building was current and in compliance with fire code, last inspected in November.
