Nursing home in Somerset experiences fire incident; staff successfully inhibits flames from spreading further
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A fire that broke out at the Somerset Ridge Center nursing home in Somerset, Massachusetts, on August 8, 2025, was successfully contained, thanks to a combination of quick staff action, a properly functioning sprinkler system, and the efforts of firefighters. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The fire started in a second-floor community room early in the morning. Nursing staff quickly used a fire extinguisher to help prevent the fire from spreading before firefighters arrived. The sprinkler system operated correctly, and firefighters applied additional water to fully extinguish the blaze.
Damage was mainly limited to the room of origin, with some water damage elsewhere, but the building’s structural integrity and long-term livability are not expected to be compromised. No injuries were reported during the incident.
Somerset Fire Chief Jamison T. J. Barros praised the nursing home staff for their quick response, emphasizing that many things could have gone wrong but were avoided due to staff actions and the fire protection measures in place. The fire drew mutual aid from nearby towns but was effectively controlled early.
Not all residents at Somerset Ridge Center were aware of the fire. Staff worked to calm the fears of residents closest to the fire. Faith, a nurse at the Somerset Ridge Center, stated that she did not want residents to panic or become more scared.
The incident occurred shortly after a much deadlier fire in a nearby assisted living facility (Gabriel House in Fall River) which killed 10 people. This context raised heightened concern about fire safety in such facilities statewide.
Beth Germano, an Emmy award-winning reporter for WBZ-TV News, is covering the story. Marie Thilus was informed about the fire at the Somerset Ridge Center affecting her mother-in-law. A resident at Somerset Ridge Center mentioned that a fire drill was conducted at the facility last week, possibly due to the incident at Gabriel House.
Chief Barros admits that the recent fire at the Gabriel House was a concern when the call about the fire at the Somerset Ridge Center came in. Some of the firefighters who responded to the fire at the Somerset Ridge Center were also part of the mutual aid response to the fire at the Gabriel House.
The exact number and details of the residents at the Somerset Ridge Center are unknown to Chief Barros, posing a concern. The cause of the fire at Somerset Ridge Center is currently under investigation.
The news of the fire at the Somerset Ridge Center nursing home, though successfully contained, has prompted conversations about fire safety in similar facilities, following a deadly incident at the Gabriel House in Fall River. With the recent heightened concern, health-and-wellness experts and law officials are scrutinizing medical-conditions that could potentially exacerbate such situations, particularly in the context of law compliance for fire safety measures in these establishments, as science continues to uncover new insights onFire safety and patient care.
