On Sunday, approximately 90 patients we evacuated from Grace Heights Health and Rehabilitation located behind UNC Blue Ridge in Morganton when a fire broke out at the facility sometime before 1:00 pm.
Patients were relocated to alternative care facilities including UNC Caldwell and UNC Morganton. Others have been moved to a shelter at the Foothills Higher Education Center. All patients were accounted for, but several patients were transported to area hospitals for further evaluation for heat-related illness and smoke inhalation.
In a press release the City of Morganton called the fire significant, but the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage has not yet been confirmed.