ALL the residents of a Cirencester care home who were evacuated last week after a fuse box exploded, have now returned.

The 28 residents of Watermoor House were temporarily moved to nearby care homes across the town following the explosion last Tuesday afternoon.

Paternoster House care home, across the street on Watermoor Road, provided initial refuge for the residents following the evacuation.

Residents then began returning to Watermoor House last Thursday, with the final batch coming home today (Monday, June 26).

Ruth Halstead, care home manager, said: “Following further on-site safety checks our residents began returning to Watermoor House last Thursday in a phased approach, with all residents now safely returned home to Watermoor House today.”

She said: “We followed all of our safety procedures and found immediate accommodation in a nearby care home.

“We then worked with local care teams and quickly found suitable overnight accommodation for all our residents.”

She went on to thank the fire service and her own staff for their efforts, as well as “the care services and local care homes who supported us”.

The explosion took place at around 1.50pm, with a member of staff immediately raising the alarm.

“We had an explosion in a fuse box, which, following our normal policy procedures, we called the fire brigade,” said Ruth, adding: “There wasn’t a fire in the fuse box, there was just an explosion.

“We got the fire brigade out, and while we were touring the house, checking everything, we noticed smoke coming up from the cellar and into the dining room, where the mains power cable comes into the building.”

She said: “The fire brigade were very prompt at getting here and they sorted out the damage down in the cellar. And we then got the utilities in to isolate the electricity.”

The rehousing of the residents was orchestrated by the county council’s Cotswold Care Team.

“There was never any question that they wouldn’t have had rooms,” home marketing manager Helen Wallace told the Standard after all residents had been temporarily rehoused.

Cllr Kathy Williams, cabinet member for adult social care at the county council, speaking last Wednesday, said: “Working alongside the staff at Watermoor and Paternoster homes, we were able to find vacancies and arrange transport for residents to be moved.

“Some of the residents went home to family or friends, others have gone to care homes in the local area.”

Jon French, group manager at Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, said crews from Cirencester and Fairford dealt with “a small fire” which had “started in the fuse box” and had caused all power to the property to be lost.