Blaze at Hastings retirement home injures one resident, one firefighter

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Two people were injured Wednesday in a fire at a retirement home in Hastings.

Firefighters responded to Good Samaritan Society Hastings Village about 5:30 a.m., according to Hastings Fire & Rescue.

When they arrived, they found one of the triplex buildings on fire.

All of the residents were evacuated, and one of them was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

HFR said one firefighter also suffered minor injuries.

Investigators think the fire started accidentally when metal utensils were put in a microwave.

The building was destroyed, with the damage totaling $495,000, the fire department said.

No other buildings in the retirement community were damaged.

“We do want to share our appreciation for the staff at Good Sam ensuring each unit had working smoke alarms, which alerted the residents,” HFR risk reduction officer Anthony Murphy said in a press release. “We also utilized one of their private fire hydrants as our primary water source, which had been properly maintained and tested.”

The Hastings Rural Volunteer Fire Department, the Juniata Volunteer Fire Department and the Glenvil Volunteer Fire Department also responded.