Oakmont of Santa Clarita was evacuated during the 6,000-acre Rye Fire in Saugus last month, and residents and staff were forced to spend a total of 12 days away from the senior living community while restoration crews worked to repair extensive smoke damage.

On Dec. 5, 2017, Oakmont of Santa Clarita staff and volunteers from the community worked to safely evacuate 94 seniors while spot fires burned around the property and heavy smoke clouded the area.

A senior resident holds their dog during the Rye Fire evacuation at Oakmont of Santa Clarita.

“Our executive director, Margie, just handled things so calmly and professionally, and I think because the staff was calm and just doing what we needed to do, the residents were calm,” said Mary Demkowski of Oakmont of Santa Clarita. “So we just methodically got everyone out.”

Related: Oakmont Of Santa Clarita Gearing Up For Thanksgiving Feast

Several city buses and a number of staff members’ vehicles were quickly loaded up with residents, who were then safely transported to the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center in Newhall.

No one was injured during the evacuation, and staff and volunteers managed to work quickly enough to avoid any of the residents becoming ill from smoke inhalation.

“We do have a few frail residents and (smoke inhalation) was a concern, but everyone fared well,” Dembkowski said.

Oakmont of Santa Clarita during the Rye Fire.

After serving an impromptu lunch at the Senior Center, some residents were able to go home with family members while the rest took charter buses to an Oakmont Senior Living community in Orange County in the city of Brea.

“We couldn’t go back,” Dembkowski explained. “We had a restoration crew in there — probably about 100 people — for days just scrubbing the building getting the smell out. We had to steam clean all the carpets and take out all the drapes and have them cleaned.”

Then after 12 days, the community of staff and residents from Oakmont of Santa Clarita were able to return home.

“Looking back, of course we’re grateful. It could have been a lot worse,” Dembkowski said. “I’m just so proud of the staff and everyone that pitched in and spent that time in Orange County tending to our residents until we could come back home. And we’re all back home and ready for the new year.”

Oakmont is a luxury senior living community in Santa Clarita located on seven acres of land on Newhall Ranch Road. Recently opened in January 2016, Oakmont of Santa Clarita is comprised of 80 pet-friendly apartment units, with both independent and assisted living options available. Residents can enjoy five star amenities like a salon & day spa, movie theater, fitness center, restaurant-style dining, gardens and walking paths, pet park, wellness center and more. A separate wing of the community, called Traditions Memory Care, is dedicated to meeting the specialized needs of seniors with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Oakmont of Santa Clarita

28650 Newhall Ranch Road

Santa Clarita, CA 91355

(661) 347-0051

Oakmont of Santa Clarita – Santa Clarita

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRpVoKhFoLo

Santa Clarita Senior Living Community, Santa Clarita Retirement Community, Retirement Community in Santa Clarita, Santa Clarita Assisted Living, Oakmont of Santa Clarita, Senior Living in Santa Clarita, Traditions Memory Care