The Mentor Fire Department responded to a fire at 7:20 AM this morning at a multi-unit group home dwelling located at 6960 Heisley Road.
Crews arrived on scene in less than a minute to find the rear unit fully engulfed in flames. Due to the intensity of the fire, mutual aid was summoned from neighboring departments. Units from Leroy, Painesville Twp., Concord, Painesville City, Mentor-on-the Lake, Fairport Harbor, Kirtland, Eastlake and Chardon responded.
Firefighters performed an aggressive fire attack and primary search and shifted their efforts to defensive operations. A secondary search confirmed that all occupants were indeed clear of the structure. An employee care giver of the group home had heard cracking and popping from the garage area, she opened the door to the garage to find heavy smoke and flames. She immediately evacuated one resident in a wheel chair and two other residents that were ambulatory outside and called 911. The evacuees were cared for at a neighboring child daycare facility as firefighters continued to fight the blaze.
Mentor Police closed Heisley Road and managed traffic as crews managed to get the fire under control. The road was closed for approximately one hour.
No one was injured. However, one person not involved in the fire was transported from the scene.
There was heavy property damage was sustained to the rear unit of the structure. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Mentor Fire assisted the group home staff with the care and relocation of the three residents. The staff of New Avenues to Independence, Inc., which manages the group home, was able to secure clothing, medicine and permanent housing for all three residents.
The fire department would like to remind residents and businesses the importance of having and practicing an emergency escape plan.
No further information is available at this time.