Fire forces evacuation at Port Charlotte nursing home

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. Two fires at a nursing home forced the evacuation of 113 residents Tuesday, Charlotte County Fire spokeswoman Dee Hawkins-Garland said.

The fires started at approximately 2:40 p.m. at Consulate Health Care of Port Charlotte on 18480 Cochran Blvd, Hawkins-Garland said.

A mattress caught fire in one of the rooms, and while crews were working to extinguish it, another ignited in another area of the building, Hawkins-Garland said.

The residents were moved inside a common area, where they’ll be until the scene is cleared, Hawkins-Garland said.

One resident was hospitalized in stable condition, but the hospitalization was later determined to be unrelated to the fires, Hawkins-Garland said.

The cause of the fires is undetermined.