Firefighters battle blaze at former care home in Harrogate

The fire broke out on Sunday evening. Crews were called at around 11.45pm.

Ten appliances attended the blaze, including crews from Ripon and Summerbridge, Northallerton, Huntington, Tadcaster, Acomb and two from West Yorkshire.

Residents were advised to keep their windows shut to protect them from the smoke as firefighters battled blaze through the night.

Crews have now scaled down the fire with two appliances currently at the scene. Firefighters have not yet established the cause of the fire.

Firefighters said that, due to the risk of the unstable building and potential falling debris, crews had not yet been able to enter the property and determine a cause of the fire.

However, one firefighter said it was his belief that the building was empty at the time of the fire and that nobody was trapped or hurt in the blaze.

Alexander Court Care Home which closed down in 2014 following ‘mounting concerns’ over nursing care.

However, a new care home was set to open on the site after Hadrian Healthcare had a planning application for an 86-bed facility approved in May this year.

The plans included demolishing the eastern and western wing buildings and most of the central building and replaced with four-storey replacement buildings.

In May, Hadrian Healthcare said that, despite having their application approved by Harrogate Borough Council, they had no plans to open the care home this year.

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