Flooding forced more than 30 residents out a long-term care facility in Tillsonburg early Saturday morning.
The director of Woodingford Lodge says a broken sprinkler valve is to blame.
“Approximately 3:30 this morning a water pipe which was part of our fire suppression sprinkler system burst and it poured an extensive amount of water into one side of our facility,” says Corrie Fransen.
Officials tell CTV News the water flooded a corridor, prompting staff to awaken and then move 32 residents to the other side of the facility.
“There were some rooms where there was a lot of water on the floor,” notes Franser. “Others were more like puddles.”
About an hour after the valve burst, administrators and firefighters started the process of moving the elderly residents to other locations.
Residents were safely taken by Oxford County EMS and firefighters to other facilities in Tillsonburg, Ingersoll and Woodstock.
“My dad is an older patient with Alzheimer’s,” says Chris Buchner, whose father was relocated to a Woodingford home in Ingersoll. “Disrupting of the schedule and routine is going to be difficult for him, but we’ll adjust,”
He says he’s concerned about how long it will take to clean up the facility.
“From what I understand it is extensive and it could be quite a while before the residents are back in again,” Buchner notes.
Officials are assessing the damage, and say they are unsure when residents will be able to return to their units.
