TWENTY elderly residents were evacuated from Minehead’s Wyndham House care home on Saturday evening when firefiighters from five stations fought a first-floor blaze which took two hours to extinguish.

No-one was seriously injured but two residents were treated by paramedics for the effects of smoke inhalation.

Residents moved into a nearby coach house building until the fire service declared it was safe to return.

Crews were called to the Somerset Care home in Martlet Road, Minehead, at 6.30pm after a fire alarm had alerted staff.

A Minehead fire crew, first on the scene, asked for additional help which brought another fire engine from Minehead and teams from Williton, Bridgwater, Porlock and Williton.

The fire service spokesman said: “On arrival at the care home, crews were met with thick black smoke from a fire on the first floor and elderly residents were being evacuated from the building by care staff.”

The fire in the three-storey building involved a sluice machine, part of the laundry process, on the first floor and crews used attack and safety jets and thermal imaging cameras to tackle the blaze.

Two people suffering from smoke inhalation were treated by ambulance crews as firefighters in breathing apparatus searched the building to make sure that residents had been taken to safety.

Off-duty staff and neighbours joined in helping 20 residents from the building while 13 more remained in a separate safe part of the home.

The fire service spokesman added: “An exceptional amount of hard work by care home staff, firefighters, ambulance crews and local residents meant that none of the residents was injured and everyone was accounted for.”

Damage was limited to one room on the first floor but the sluice was 50 per cent destroyed, the room severely damaged by smoke and the first floor had minor smoke damage.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated but is thought to have been was accidental. It was under control within two hours of the first callout.

Wyndham House manager Donna Howitt said she was overwhelmed by the local response.

She told the Free Press: “I’d like to thank the emergency services for their support and their very quick attendance.

“I’m very proud of the way in which our staff team handled this incident – they remained calm and followed procedures. Off-duty staff, colleagues from other services and members of the local community came together to support us and we are very grateful to them.”

Mrs Howitt added: “We would like to take this opportunity to assure everyone that all residents are safe and well, and to thank everyone for their assistance.”

A Martlet Road resident said: “Flames and black smoke brought out neighbours who did what they could to help despite social distancing. The evacuation went smoothly and there was no panic. Thank goodness no-one was seriously injured .”