PHILADELPHIA _ A multi-alarm fire ravaged an assisted living facility in West Chester late Thursday night, forcing the evacuation of residents into 40-degree temperatures.
"All I can tell you is we have multiple alarms and multiple evacuations," said a Chester County dispatcher who confirmed some of the basic details.
The blaze at Barclay Friends was reported around 11 p.m. and climbed to five alarms in about a half hour. At one points flames rose over the top of some of the buildings in the facility, which offers various levels of care.
Late into the evening, calls went out over police radio asking for ambulances and for area hospitals to prepare for incoming patients. As a fourth alarm sounded, area hospitals reported they were overwhelmed with patients and were unable to take any more.
Fire officials said emergency responders were triaging patients on the lawn of the facility. Some, unable to walk unassisted, were reported carried out on chairs.
Early emergency reports indicated the possibility that some residents were unaccounted for.
