Damage but no injuries in fire

By Staff
Jonathan Willis FCT Staff Writer
On one of the coldest days of the fall so far, residents of Lawrence Place assisted living in Russellville were forced out of their home Wednesday afternoon after a fire in one of the building's living areas.
The fire began when an air conditioning/heating unit on an outside wall caught a curtain and subsequent chair on fire in a room that was temporarily vacant, officials said.
The occupant of Room 116, where the fire began, was in the hospital and not in the room at the time.
Power to the building had to be turned off as a result of the fire and all residents were forced out of the building temporarily. Lawrence Place administrator Tammy Trapp said that all occupants were taken to the Russellville Park and Recreation Center until the building was cleaned of smoke and water and the power was restored.
Fortunately, none of the 32 residents were injured during the fire, which was reported at 3:44 p.m. on Lawrence Street, just west of U.S. 43.
Trapp said that they became aware of the fire when the alarm and sprinkler system was activated.
The sprinkler system kept the fire under control until firefighters arrived on the scene.
Mansell said that it appears that most of the damage was caused by smoke and water, and not from the fire which was contained to the north wall facing Lawrence Street.
Many of the residents were taken home by family members while the rest were escorted by volunteers to school buses and taken to the recreation center until the building was ready to be moved back into.