Smoke-filled hallways force evacuation of Jasper senior living facility

Responding to a smoke alarm at Serinity Spring Senior Living at Northwood Sunday evening with winds whipping up ahead of an approaching cold front could have been the beginning of a bad night for many folks.

The department had received the smoke alarm at about 6:30 p.m. and received a call from staff reporting smoke in the building. The department responded with six trucks and 26 firefighters, along with Jasper Police officers.

“We were concerned about what we might have to do,” Fire Chief Kenny Hochgesang said about the 13 residents who could have potentially been displaced, though the department does have protocols for such scenarios.

When the Jasper volunteer firefighters arrived, the hallway to the affected wing of the building was filled with smoke, and residents were already evacuating the senior living center, either on their own or with staff assistance. While Jasper Police Officers went door to door on the wing to ensure everyone had been evacuated, the firefighters began attempting to locate the source of the smoke.

“It (the smoke) was heavy, and you could see a significant amount of it in the building,” Hochgesang explained, adding that it didn’t smell like smoke.

They determined that the thick haze was caused by a malfunctioning condensing unit.

“There are probably a couple of dozen of these units in the ceiling,” he said.

He crawled into the ceiling, identified the malfunctioning unit, and shut off its power, stopping the suspected Freon leak.

It was a quick response, and with the help of the wind, the hallway was ventilated quickly using fans. And since the haze was concentrated in the hallway, the residents were able to return to their rooms ahead of the approaching storm.