Parkview Care Center Fire Displaces 76 Residents

A fire Wednesday at Parkview Care Center, a 99-bed nursing home on North St. Joseph Avenue just outside Evansville, forced the evacuation of all 76 residents. No date has been set for their return.

Dispatchers received the call shortly before 12:30 p.m. Nov. 11, 14 News reported. WNIN reported a two-alarm fire at about 12:20 p.m., with smoke in the rear of the building and the sprinkler system activated. Crews had the fire suppressed by 12:45 p.m., according to WNIN.

The first crews on scene reported smoke in the hallways and residents being evacuated, some in wheelchairs. Officials told WNIN and 14 News that the fire was reported in a utility room. In a statement posted Thursday, the facility said it "sustained an electrical fire in the attic."

Residents and injuries

McCutchanville firefighter Zachary Day told WEHT that two residents were taken to hospitals "out of precaution for some minor complaints." Another 12 were transported "just for medical conditions that were normal for them," Day said, so they would not have to wait outside during the evacuation. Early reports differed on the number. No public update on the hospitalized residents' condition had been released as of Friday.

About 60 residents went to other care facilities, and some went to relatives' homes, according to WNIN and WEHT. Holiday Healthcare sent its own transport vehicles and took in residents, operations vice president Vanessa DeBord told 14 News. One resident's husband told the station she had been moved to a facility in New Harmony.

No injuries to staff or firefighters were reported.

Cliff Weaver, director of the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Emergency Management Agency, said the move finished about 30 minutes before heavy rain reached the area, WNIN reported. METS buses carried residents, and the American Red Cross handed out blankets, snacks and drinks.

Response and investigation

The McCutchanville Fire Department led the scene. Support came from the Evansville Fire Department, Ohio and Scott township fire departments, the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office, American Medical Response and Evansville Fire/EMS, according to WNIN.

The Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating, 14 News and WEHT reported. WNIN reported that the Evansville Fire Department was also called in. Day said he did not know when the investigation would be finished. No cause had been announced as of Friday.

Day described "a good amount of smoke damage" and water damage from the sprinklers and firefighting. "They'll have a good bit of cleanup before they can move back in," he said.

What the operator says

Life Care Centers of America, a Tennessee-based chain, operates Parkview, according to federal records. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services lists the licensee's legal business name as Hendricks County Hospital.

In the statement, Executive Director Eric Will said all affected residents "have been safely relocated to temporary accommodations" and that "their designated family contacts have been notified." He said state surveyors visited the building Thursday and that a property restoration team is on site. Parkview staff have visited residents at their temporary locations, according to the statement, and the facility "will be providing updates as we learn more about our building in the coming days."

The facility's posted phone number is (812) 424-2941.

Inspection record

Parkview holds a three-star overall rating on CMS Care Compare, with two stars for health inspections, four for staffing and five for quality measures. CMS records show no fines or payment denials in the past three years and list automatic sprinklers in all required areas.

At its most recent standard inspection, on Dec. 11, 2025, surveyors cited 15 fire safety and emergency preparedness deficiencies. The citations covered sprinkler inspection and maintenance, electrical wiring and gas equipment, fire drills, emergency generator power, emergency lighting and fire and smoke doors. None was rated as causing actual harm. CMS lists all 15 with a correction date of Feb. 5, 2026. The same inspection found nine health deficiencies at Parkview, also rated below the level of actual harm.

The inspection records do not address the cause of Wednesday's fire.