Partial protection is never effective...on a date or in a care facility....
The fatal fire Monday night in a Mocksville adult-care home occurred just six days before the 11th anniversary of another devastating fire in a North Carolina rest home.
On March 18, 1996, eight people died when an electrical outlet caught fire at Scotch Meadow Rest Home in Scotland County. It was said at the time to be the worst resident-home disaster in the state's history, and it caused state legislators to re-examine the state's rules on sprinkler systems in adult-care homes.
But although a special committee was appointed by then-Gov. Jim Hunt, the legislature never adopted most of its recommendations.
That year, the state began requiring sprinkler systems in new institutional facilities, including adult-care homes. But homes that had already opened were not required to retrofit their buildings with sprinklers.
The fire at Davie Place Residential Care in Mocksville occurred in a part of the building with no sprinklers. (Grandfather clause!!!)
