132 residents evacuated from Maple Pointe

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Residents of Maple Pointe Assisted Living were evacuated from the premises early on Wednesday morning due to a leak caused by a broken boiler valve.

According to Maple Pointe, the leak on the roof caused water to leak throughout the building, forcing maintenance staff to shut down the furnaces as a precaution and causing Fire Chief John Thorp to evacuate the building.

"Our first concern is for the health and safety of our residents and staff," said Roger Bernier, president and chief operating officer of Chelsea Senior Living, the New Jersey company that operates Maple Pointe. "It appears no one was hurt and we are very thankful for that."

Early reports cited fears of a caving roof due to snow accumulation, and helicopters were seen hovering over the facility as early as 6:30 a.m.

The nursing home, which specializes in assisted living, memory impairment and respite care, was forced to move 132 residents to the Sandel Senior Center, where the American Red Cross is available to provide aid. The village has been in touch with other Maple Pointe facilities in the hopes of temporarily relocating some residents there, while some families have opted to pick up their loved ones until the leak can be fixed.

Tammy Marshall, executive director of Maple Pointe, said it is unclear how long it will be before residents will be allowed to return, but maintenance staff hope to have the valve fixed sometime today.