All residents and staff escape as Brisbane aged care home gutted by fire
“Anything anybody has to offer – the basics, toiletries, pillows, bedding, quilts, if we could open up a short-term place too,” she told the Courier-Mail
All 28 residents, as well as staff, are safe after escaping a fire at Bayside Lodge in Lota, Queensland, that severely damaged 75% of the aged care home. The residents are safe in temporary accommodation after the fire ripped through the 44-bed home on Saturday night, though operator Dependable Care is unsure of when or if Bayside Lodge will be able to reopen; no cause has yet been determined. According to proprietor Joanne Tomada of Dependable Care, many escaped with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
“We are trying to keep people together with everything they know. Some of them have been here for a long time. It’s like a family. “Anything anybody has to offer – the basics, toiletries, pillows, bedding, quilts, if we could open up a short-term place too,” she told the Courier-Mail.
Dependable Care operates several supported accommodation facilities across Melbourne and Brisbane; Bayside is described as “low level accommodation for younger residents with mental health and disabilities and disadvantaged members of the community”.
“We cater to people who may need some support in their daily living yet still treasure their independence,” the website reads.
This is the second Brisbane aged care home fire in several weeks, following the minor blaze at Mandalay Retreat in Cleveland that left one hospitalised from smoke inhalation.
