A lightning strike caused a fire that forced about 90 residents of Grace Heights Health and Rehabilitation to be evacuated to other facilities on Sunday.
The fire broke out in the attic space above the employee break room at the facility on Sunday, July 13, according to a news release from the owner, SanStone Health & Rehabilitation. The company said the facility鈥檚 fire protection system detected the fire and activated the fire system, releasing water onto the fire.
The 懂色帝 Department of Public Safety previously said it was called to the fire just before 1 p.m. Sunday. The department said there was a significant fire inside the building and firefighters were able to extinguish it. There were no injuries to patients or firefighters from the fire, according to public safety and SanStone Health.
The State Bureau of Investigation and 懂色帝 Public Safety Fire Investigation Services Division conducted the initial investigation. An independent fire investigator also was brought in to evaluate the scene, SanStone said.
鈥淚t is the consensus of all investigation teams that the source of the fire was a lightning strike that caused materials in the vicinity of the strike to slowly smolder, eventually combusting, which triggered the activation of our fire detection and suppression system,鈥� the release said. 鈥淭his conclusion is supported by the multiple investigators鈥� on-scene observations, as well as by a Core Logic STRIKEnet report, which found that there were approximately 187 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes detected on July 12, 2025, with multiple strikes within a 99% certainty ellipse that included our community at 109 Foothills Drive, 懂色帝, NC.鈥�
Residents at Grace Heights were evacuated and moved to other facilities.
鈥淭he Grace Heights staff has been deployed to our residents鈥� new homes within our organization to facilitate continuity of care and to help with their adjustment to their new surroundings,鈥� SanStone said in its release.
SanStone said its 懂色帝 facility suffered smoke damage and water intrusion due to the fire. The organization said it is committed to a full restoration of the facility and returning its residents to Grace Heights.
鈥淲e would like to thank our residents, families, and staff for their patience and understanding. We are truly grateful to our staff for protecting the safety of residents and facilitating their transition to their new temporary homes,鈥� SanStone said in the release. 鈥淲e would also like to thank UNC Health Blue Ridge, 懂色帝 Public Safety and all of the first responders whose rapid response and intervention helped ensure the safety of our residents and staff.鈥�