Former Friendship House nursing home in Centralia destroyed by fire

A suspicious fire destroyed the former Friendship House nursing home, located at 1000 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. in Centralia, Friday afternoon.

The first Centralia firefighters to arrive on the scene discovered a fire in the southeast portion of the structure that quickly spread through the ventilation system and attic into all three wings of the former nursing home. The roof of the facility was burned while the walls remained standing, including the interior walls that were constructed of brick.

All off-duty City of Centralia firefighters were called and mutual aid was received from the Centralia Fire Protection District, Odin, Sandoval, Salem, Mt. Vernon, of Iuka and Jefferson Fire.

Three air units led firefighting efforts, dropping water on the fire. They include the Centralia and Mt. Vernon Platform Aerial Units and the Centralia Fire Protection District Snorkel. Three additional water lines were laid from three nearby fire hydrants to support the air attack. Fire officials said an adequate water supply has never been a problem. Firefighters never entered the building because the fire spread very quickly after their arrival.

Life Star Ambulance had two ambulances on scene in case of injuries and provided water and iced drinks to firefighters as well as first responders. Centralia fire officials say there were no injuries while battling the fire.

Several Centralia ESDA units provided traffic control outside the premises.

An Illinois State Fire Marshal was called to the scene to investigate the cause of the fire. Centralia firefighters say many doors and windows were open, apparently providing entry to homeless people who may have been using the building.

There was still electricity in the building. Ameren arrived quickly after seeing the smoke from the fire. There were still oxygen tanks inside the building, but there was no explosion.

Firefighters were called to the scene around 12:30 p.m. Friday afternoon and were able to clear the scene around 5:30 p.m.