NORTHAMPTON — Thirty-two patients began this week to return to CareOne at Northampton after a fire Saturday forced their evacuation.
Among those who have returned is one of the three people who were transported to Cooley Dickinson Hospital for smoke inhalation, according to a statement issued Wednesday by CareOne.
The fire reported at 12:10 a.m. Saturday was caused by a malfunction in the electrical cord of an air conditioning unit on the building’s third floor, Northampton Assistant Fire Chief Jon Davine said in an interview Wednesday. He added that the Fire Department cannot determine exactly what went wrong with the cord.
Davine said the Fire Department recommended that CareOne check to see if there are an visible defects in electrical cords of the other air conditioning units in the building.
Davine said the Fire Department conducts quarterly inspections of facilities such as CareOne, and the last there was during May. Davine said no deficiencies were found during that inspection, and that the investigation of the cause of Saturday’s fire is now closed.
The majority of the 32 people evacuated were on the third floor, with some from the second floor.
The building sustained water damage on the first, second and third floor, Davine said, as well as smoke damage on the second and third floors.
Davine estimated the cost of the damage at $300,000.
Advanced Restoration Group, based in Easthampton, has almost finished restoring the damaged areas, according to the CareOne statement.
Davine said CareOne had an emergency plan in place and praised the staff’ for following the plan.
“They did well by their folks,” he said. “They got their people moved to a safe area, and while they were doing cleanup, they found them a place to stay.”
The patients were temporarily transferred to another CareOne facility in East Longmeadow.
Licensed practical nurse Sandra Cunningham played a key role in the emergency, entering the room where the fire broke out and ushering the patient to safety, CareOne officials said.
“Her professionalism and dedication to our residents is extraordinary, and her actions in that moment displayed the commitment that our caregivers demonstrated every day in far less dramatic situations,” said Sharon Donaghue, CareOne’s senior vice president of operations.
Cunningham has worked at the nursing center since 1982.
According to its website, CareOne at Northampton offers a variety of services, including rehabilitation after hospital treatment, long-term care and hospice and palliative care.