New details released surrounding elderly home fire

The Assistant Secretary-General for Protection and Care at the Ministry of Social Development, Nasser Shraideh, revealed that a surveillance camera operator detected the fire at the White Beds Society for the Elderly in Amman and immediately alerted Civil Defense.

He noted that the ministry is working on linking all care centers to a unified surveillance system.

Commenting on a video circulating on social media, which appears to show a resident of the care center starting the fire, Shraideh clarified during an interview on Roya's Nabd Al-Balad on Roya TV that the ministry did not withhold the video.

He explained that field monitoring teams had conducted two inspections at the care center earlier this month. The ministry employs three types of oversight for care centers: central monitoring through the Internal Control Unit, technical monitoring by the Family and Childhood Directorate, and regular field inspections.

Shraideh added that the ministry is preparing to implement a new regulatory framework for the social work profession to improve professional standards for staff.

He reported that seven injured residents remain in intensive care, while 33 others have been discharged from Al-Bashir Hospital and relocated to various care centers, where they are receiving medical and social support.

Medical files for the evacuated residents have also been transferred to the centers where they are now housed.

He further noted that Civil Defense evacuated 44 elderly residents from the fire-stricken center to alternative facilities.

Prime Minister Jafar Hassan underscored the importance of accountability, pledging that anyone found responsible for the fire at White Beds Society for the Elderly through impartial investigations will face legal consequences.

Hassan stressed the need for preventive measures to avoid similar tragedies in the future and commended the swift response by hospitals, Civil Defense teams, and security forces in managing the crisis.