Shelter residents evacuated after fire at Albion Fellows Bacon Center

EVANSVILLE – A fire Thursday evening at the Albion Fellows Bacon Center damaged the women's shelter and left a worker with smoke inhalation, the organization said.

According to a press release issued Friday afternoon, “residents have been safely relocated and alternative plans to provide services have been adopted.” Albion has a long history of housing women victims of domestic or sexual violence.

Ashley McReynolds, Albion's director of advancement, said the fire broke out around 10:30 p.m. The damage primarily occurred in the kitchen, but there was also water damage to “several common living areas” after Evansville firefighters extinguished the fire.

“We don't know how long it will take for the shelter to reopen, as adjusters, firefighters, etc. are still assessing,” she told the Courier & Press. “But all other services, including our crisis lines and response service, are still operating as normal.”

McReynolds provided security camera footage that shows a thick coil of fire rising from what appears to be a stove. The photo does not show anyone in the room at the time.

Damage was limited thanks to a sprinkler system the organization recently installed after receiving a grant from the West Side Nut Club, the City of Evansville Endowment Fund and the Brave Heart Foundation, Albion said in a subsequent press release.

The injured employee, who Albion did not name, also played an important role in trying to put out the fire, as well as evacuating residents and their pets to safety.