JENKINS TOWNSHIP -- Investigators believe a fire at an assisted living facility in Luzerne County was intentionally set.
Dozens of residents of River View Personal Care facility on Overlook Drive in Jenkins Township, near Pittston, were forced into the cold around 3:30 a.m. Thursday when flames hit their home, according to authorities.
Nearly 75 people were forced from a personal care home overnight and investigators say one of the residents set the place on fire.
Dozens of those patients forced out of the River View Personal Care Home in Luzerne County are now being placed into other facilities or staying with family members.
The fire marshal has now ruled this fire as a case of arson.
As for the resident accused of starting it all, it's unclear yet if he'll face charges. Investigators tell us that all depends on the results of a mental health evaluation.
It's a night shift that turned terrifying for workers at River View Personal Care Home near Pittston.
"I was down doing my job in the basement and I heard somebody screaming for help and then I heard the fire alarm. Then I saw fire on the first floor," said overnight maintenance worker Eric McGlynn. "Someone lit the picture on fire. So I just grabbed a bucket of water from the bathroom and threw it on the wall. And there was another fire on the second floor and another fire on the third floor."
Police backed up that statement, telling Newswatch 16 a male resident who's believed to be the one who set the fire was taken away for a mental health evaluation.
Authorities say 69 residents in all and four staff members were there overnight when flames broke.
"It's a disaster," said resident Stacy Penn.
No one was hurt but emergency crews say five residents were taken to a hospital to be checked out from breathing in smoke. They're expected to be OK.
Investigators say this facility used to be the old Pittston Nursing School back in the early 1980s. Now it was home to folks with various health conditions ranging from diabetes to severe mental health issues.
All of the residents we talked with told Newswatch 16 they believe the evacuation went so smoothly because they practice fire drills on a regular basis.
"Everybody knows what to do. Everybody got out pretty quick."
From here various ambulance companies and shuttles transported residents to nearby St. John Evangelist Church in Pittston, some arriving in bare feet grabbed only what they could as they rushed out of the burning building.
"I had a lot of music equipment in there that was my life. Hopefully none of that stuff is ruined," said resident Rick Puterbaugh.
Despite the significant amount of fire damage to parts of the building some things like one sign of the season stood strong as a reminder that Christmas is one week away giving residents a holiday to be thankful for in more ways than one.
"The objective was to get everyone out safely and, God bless, we did," said McGlynn.
As for the male resident undergoing that mental health evaluation, police say the results of that, the fire marshal's findings, and district attorney's investigation will determine what , if any charges, will be filed.