A FAULTY wall socket is believed to have started a fire at a Dorchester care home – leading to the evacuation of residents.

The incident, at the Grassington House facility in Prince of Wales Road, was reported at around 10.05pm on Saturday night (January 18).

Crews from Dorchester, Weymouth and Bere Regis were initially sent to the scene, followed by a second crew from Weymouth, two crews from Bridport, and others from Portland, Blandford, Wareham and Yeovil (Devon and Somerset FRS), as well as the aerial ladder platform from Yeovil and a command unit from Hamworthy.

At the height of the incident, around 50 firefighters were tackling the blaze.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, at around 2.30am, crews said they had extinguished the blaze, which was in the roof of the building.

“The crews did a great job at assisting residents from all levels of the building and we believe 11 residents were displaced and rehoused by the local authority,” a Dorset & Wiltshire Fir and Rescue Service spokesperson said.

“We’d like to take the opportunity to thank you for the patience and support received.”

They said an investigation on Sunday indicated the cause of the fire was “believed to be accidental, due to a fault in a double-wall socket”.