I AM writing to express my immense gratitude to everyone who provided assistance following the fire at The Laurels & Pine Lodge residential care home in Poole, on Wednesday afternoon.

A freezer fire broke out in an area adjacent to the kitchen, spreading rapidly and causing damage to the kitchen.

Obviously this incident was completely unforeseen but thanks to the emergency procedures we had in place, our staff training programmes, the timely reactions of the staff on duty on Wednesday, and the fantastic response from the local Fire Service, the fire was extinguished very quickly and nobody was injured.

We have been overwhelmed by the support and kindness shown by the local community and would like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has helped us in anyway, from the response of the local Fire Brigade to the support of local businesses such as Oakdale Fisheries who delivered lunch for our residents the day after the incident.

We are also extremely grateful to all our neighbours who helped to provide food, water and reassurance to residents on Wednesday afternoon and to all the staff who continued to carry out their duties in a really professional manner in the most difficult of circumstances.

Thank you also to our residents and their families for their patience and understanding at this time.

Life at The Laurels & Pine Lodge has thankfully, returned to normal very quickly.

The fire inspectors and insurance assessors have completed their examination of the scene and a temporary kitchen has now been installed on site.

SEAN GAVIN, CEO, Hartford Care