A fire displaced 77 residents from Montesano Health and Rehabilitation Center in Grays Harbor County this week, and now advocates are asking for donations to help those residents.
The Washington State Long Term Care Ombudsman Program is seeking donations for those displaced by the fire who are now spread across other care facilities in the region. A news release from the long-term care nonprofit said they're looking for new socks, pajamas and comfort blankets for residents who have lost many of their belongings.
Crews responded to the blaze at about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday after receiving calls from the Montesano Health and Rehabilitation and its neighbors. Twenty-nine staff and some neighbors evacuated all patients from the facility, according to the Montesano Police Department.
A Montesano Fire Department engine arrived on scene at 5:36 p.m. to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the roof at the north end of the building, according to the fire department. About 50 firefighters from throughout the region fought the fire for three hours.
No one was injured in the blaze, but the patients at the facility are recovering from injuries or surgery or receiving end-of-life care.
"Our priority is ensuring residents have support during this scary event," the long-term care group said in its news release. "Residents have been dislocated from their familiar surroundings, lost personal possessions in the fire, and are disconnected from familiar care teams, friends and neighbors."
Donations can be dropped off or mailed to the Grays Harbor Regional Long Term Care Ombudsman located at the Olympic Agency on Aging, 2700 Simpson Ave, Suite 205, Aberdeen, WA, 98520.
