Residents of a nursing home in Lauderdale Lakes are set to return Saturday after a power outage caused by an iguana prompted them to evacuate for several hours.
Battalion Chief Michael Kane, a spokesman for Broward Fire Rescue, said the Palms Care Center in the 3300 block of Northwest 47th Terrace lost power around 5:30 p.m. Friday. Kane said an iguana climbing on the power pole about a block from the facility caused the power failure.
The facility's backup generator was only cooling half the building so the decision was made to transport about 20 residents to local hospitals as a precaution.
Kane said power was restored around 11 p.m. Friday and nursing home officials said the residents who were taken to hospitals are expected to return Saturday.
Last September, 12 people died after the power cut out at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills during Hurricane Irma. Many have questioned why those residents weren't moved to hospitals with working cooling systems. Those deaths have been ruled as homicides.
Family members of the residents said the staff at the Palms was ready to keep their residents safe.
"They're doing their best. They're doing their best. All the stuff was there. They're moving out and the rescue team and everybody, they get the patients out," said Juliete Dennis whose sister lives in the nursing home.