NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Dozens of senior citizens were forced to evacuate their retirement home overnight when a fire alarm went off inside the building due to a small fire.
The incident happened around 1:15 a.m. Monday at the Trevecca Towers on Lester Avenue in Nashville.
Fire officials told NewsChannel 5 they found a small fire on some furniture on the second floor. The fire was extinguished by the building's sprinkler system.
Twenty units were uninhabitable due to water damage. Officials said at least 23 people were displaced. Some were housed in vacant units, and the Red Cross was called in to help the others.
According to reports, the fire was caused by unattended smoking when a 65-year-old woman fell asleep with a cigarette.
She was taken to the hospital as a precaution due to disorientation after the fire.
The incident remains under investigation.
