Survivors of La Crescent fire are relocated to new assisted living facilities

LA CRESCENT, Minn. (WKBT) -- Community members are rallying behind the residents of Traditions of La Crescent Assisted Living following the fire that left them without a home.

Traditions' residents were forced to evacuate the building after a structure fire broke out this past Saturday afternoon.

Residents were temporarily moved into First Lutheran Church, but now all of them have been placed in local assisted living facilities.

"Thankfully individuals were able to find housing in the short term, so we did not have to open a shelter which was an option we were looking at at one point," said Melanie Tschida, the executive director at Southeast Minnesota American Red Cross.

The facilities residents have moved into include SpringBrook Village in La Crescent and La Crosse's Riverside Transitional Care.

In a statement sent to News 8 Now, leaders at SpringBrook wrote:

"We began accepting victims of the fire later that same night and have continued to work with families in assisting many of those needing shelter and care."

It's unclear how long the residents will be at those facilities.

Tschida says the aftermath of fires like this can be complicated since assisted living residents might need special medical care. However, the Red Cross has volunteers that make sure health needs are met.

"When someone has a prescription that they need to take on a certain schedule or they have a medical device that's critical to them, those disaster health volunteers of ours can work with 24-hour pharmacies and other community resources to make sure and fulfill those needs," she said.

Tschida says finding assisted living residents permanent housing can be especially challenging, but the Red Cross and other community groups will do all they can to help.

"We'll continue to support as much as we can while they're evaluating their options and deciding what to do."

The La Crescent Fire Dept. said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

For more information on how to help residents impacted by the fire, visit the La Crescent Together Facebook page.

If you are interested in volunteering with the Red Cross, more information can be found here .

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