Dozens Evacuated From Sudbury Nursing Home Damaged By Rain

SUDBURY, MA — Firefighters from across the region worked came together to evacuate dozens of residents from a Sudbury nursing home that became uninhabitable during Thursday's heavy rains.

Sudbury firefighters responded to the Bear Mountain at Sudbury nursing home around 1:15 p.m. and discovered that the roof, which was under repair, was leaking. By 2 p.m., firefighters made the decision to evacuate all of the residents using ambulances from fire departments as far away as Sherborn.

The large operation was a three-alarm emergency at one point, and shut down Route 20 in the vicinity of the nursing home. The operation was complete near 9 p.m. when all 78 residents were cleared from the building.

Three of the nursing home residents who were in critical condition were taken to local hospitals, another 27 were taken to the Bear Mountain facility in Andover and 13 more were taken to Bear Mountain in Reading, according to the Sudbury Fire Department. One person went home with family.

The Bear Mountain at Sudbury facility provides short and long-term rehabilitation and other medical care.

Massachusetts was inundated with several inches of rain Thursday as the remnants of Fred, a tropical depression, moved through the area. The Sudbury area received more than 1-1/2 inches of rain during the event.