Firefighters work to connect hoses in an attempt to slow down the fire that engulfed the attic and third floor of Concordia Lutheran Ministries' Haven I independent living apartments in Jefferson Township Sunday. The fire was first reported at about 11:35 a.m., with 16 fire companies and more than 100 firefighters responding. In two hours the fire, pushed by the wind, ate its way across the top of the 114-unit building. All 137 residents were accounted for and no one was injured. Most of them were at church when the blaze broke out. The state fire marshal said it is too early to tell how and why the fire started.

JEFFERSON TWP— The 137 residents of a building at Concordia Lutheran Homes lost their homes, but resident Bob Waltenbaugh said people had not lost their smiles.

He pointed out that many of the people who called Haven I their homes had lived through World War II and tougher battles than a fire.

"We're all in the same boat," said the 82-year-old Waltenbaugh.

He said it was a blessing that residents knew from past fire drills where to go when the alarms went off at 11:35 a.m. Sunday.

A new building on the Marwood Road campus was ready to house those who didn't spend the night with family. There was even a possibility some belongings from the lower floors could be salvaged.

And most of all, people were glad no one was hurt.

"The Lord really does provide in that no one had to go to the hospital, "said Charles Long, a supervisor for the state Department of Health's Life and Safety office.

Haven I, a U-shaped building built in two stages, had 114 apartments for seniors who live independently. The average age of a resident is 83. The apartments are complete with kitchen and bathroom areas. Residents make the apartments home with their own furnishings.

Sunday's fire began in the newer part of the building, which was built in 1992. The original part of the building was built in 1990. The cause of the fire was not known this morning.

Joanne Wilhelm counted it as a blessing that she still has her best coat. She was at church when the fire broke out and she was left with only the clothes on her back.

Many people were at church when the fire started. At first, this made accounting for everyone difficult because residents of the building come and go. But, Concordia staff were assured of the final resident's safety by 2 p.m.

Bill Maurhoff's mother, Henrietta, 82, wasn't as lucky as Wilhelm. She only had on her bed clothes and slippers when the alarm rang.Following the procedure practiced regularly, the residents evacuated their apartments when the alarms went off and nursing staff in other buildings were alerted by radio, said Keith Frndak, Concordia president.No one needed to be rescued from the building. However, one man remained inside for about an hour before he realized the alarms were going off and left. A thorough check of the building showed no one was left inside.Maurhoff said his mother described the evacuation as calm. He planned to take his mother to his Mars home for the night.A combination of efforts from Concordia and other organizations meant that residents had a place to sleep and had whatever else they needed.When the fire first forced an evacuation of Haven I, those inside were taken to the cafeteria in Oertel Care Center, an older building on campus, and given hot meals.As the day wore on, the residents mingled, hugged and tuned in to the Steelers game. Families showed up, parking as far away as a quarter-mile north on Route 356 from Marwood Road, which remained closed well into the night. From Oertel, the residents were taken to the Lund Care Center to spend the night.Just the day before the fire, Concordia held a public open house for its expanded Lund Care Center, a building with 225 assisted living rooms. The state Department of Health recently issued clearance for the new building, and residents from the Oertel were to be moved to Lund Nov. 13.

That plan changed with the fire. About 100 seniors made a temporary home at Lund. The remaining people chose to stay with family.At 6 p.m. the first group of residents took a school bus to Lund. Beds were ready with linen kits from a hospital; toothbrushes, combs and other personal hygiene items were on their way from the American Red Cross; and the Concordia pharmacy was open to replace lost prescription drugs."I can't believe the people who have already helped," Shirley Freyer, Concordia spokeswoman, said.Concordia workers today were adding convenience items like TVs and connecting phones in Lund, she said. Each floor of the $13 million building has a country kitchen, so food service is making sure the residents are fed.Third floor apartments of Haven I are destroyed, but firefighters were saying there was little fire damage to the first and second floor apartments. Water and smoke damaged the entire building, which also included a chapel.Freyer said residents of those apartments may be allowed to check for personal items in the coming days.Concordia's insurance covers the cost of the building, but belongings are covered by residents' own renter's insurance.Jody Knights, executive director of Butler Red Cross, said she planned today to set up a service center at Concordia to work with the residents to get clothes, personal items and financial assistance."Our goal is that none of the displaced have to worry about money," she said. With a system first used in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, she said residents will get ATM cards to buy what they need.

She estimated this event will cost the Red Cross between $50,000 and $60,000. "This is a pretty big job,"she said.Waltenbaugh, a four-year resident, lived in a third-floor apartment in the corner of the building where the fire is believed to have began.One fire department official said the fire appeared to have started near an elevator shaft.Waltenbaugh said he believed he lost everything other than the suit he was wearing at a church association meeting in Natrona Heights.Jill Klems of New Kensington said she thought of her mother's lost handmade quilts.Maurhoff said he was saddened to think of the things his mother lost — like pictures. Her apartment was on the third floor.Residents and their families who have questions should call 724-352-1571 and either extension 8288 or 8231.Those who would like to make donations to the residents may do so through the Butler Red Cross, Local Disaster Relief Fund, 312 Mercer St., Butler, PA 16001.<br></br>

Concordia Lutheran Ministries began as the Lutheran Home for Orphans and the Aged. It opened its doors on the site of the former Oertel Farm in Jefferson Township on Dec. 4, 1882.The first orphans or children from dysfunctional families arrived on July 24, 1883. Children typically stayed on the farm until they were 16 to 18 years old.In 1954, the children were moved to foster homes and Concordia began serving strictly an older population.Concordia eventually increased the size of its property to 167 acres with independent apartments, assisted living and skilled nursing units.Including the 114-units in Haven I destroyed in Sunday's fire, Concordia has about 450 retirees in 350 apartments.Another 185 residents live in Concordia's Assisted Living Service with an additional 115 residents in the Concordia at the Orchard in Center Township and Concordia at Ridgewood Place in Plum Borough, Allegheny County.Concordia also cares for seniors in its 136-bed skilled nursing unit.On Saturday, Concordia held an open house for its newest building, the Lund Care Center, that is to replace the current skilled nursing center and assisted living center.The Lund Care Center has 225 assisted living rooms with most private or semiprivate.The center was to open to residents Nov. 13, but those plans may be on hold as Haven I residents, displaced by the fire were moved into the new building Sunday night.Haven Iwas built in two phases, the first completed in 1990 and the second in 1992.Concordia Lutheran Ministries has 1,150 employees, 880 of which work at either the Jefferson or Center township facilities.It is the 78th largest senior living provider in the nation, according to the 2006 American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging.

While most of Haven I's 137 residents were at church when fire broke through the roof at about 11:35 a.m. Sunday, those who were home were evacuated to the Haven II apartment building on the eastern side of the Concordia complex. To get a more accurate head count, Haven I residents were moved to a dining hall in Concordia's original buildings.

By about noon, the fire in Concordia Lutheran Ministries' Haven I independent living apartments had burned through about half of the building's roof and third-story apartments. Below, two hours later, Haven I had lost its attic and third-floor. Keith Frndak, Concordia's president and chief executive officer, explained that the building was constructed with cement slabs between floors and double drywall between apartments. Built in two phases, there was only a two-hour fire wall between the two sections of roof. The roofing material, however, was exposed and helped to carry the fire through the building.

About two hours later, Haven I had lost its attic and third-floor. Keith Frndak, Concordia's president and chief executive officer, explained that the building was constructed with cement slabs between floors and double drywall between apartments. Built in two phases the first completed in 1990, the second in 1992 there was only a two-hour fire wall between the two sections of roof. The roofing material, however, was exposed and helped to carry the fire through the building.

Fire worked steadily across the U-shaped building's roof reaching the second floor cafeteria at about 12:30 p.m. Sunday. Below the dining hall was a chapel and administrative offices. In both the eastern corner which housed doctors' offices and this corner, the fire reached the ground floor. Much of the fire, however, was contained in the attic and third-floor apartments.