Five Dead at a Florida Nursing Home after Faulty AC

Five people have died at a Florida nursing home which was left without power for days after Hurricane Irma, as police announce they are opening a criminal investigation into the deaths. 

More than 100 people were evacuated from the Rehabilitation Center, in Hollywood, on Wednesday morning where residents were suffering from intense heat after the deadly hurricane.

Three residents were confirmed dead at the facility while two others died a short time after being rushed to the nearby Memorial Regional Hospital for treatment, Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief said at a morning press conference.

It is not yet clear whether the vulnerable residents died from heat exhaustion or another cause.

Police are now conducting a criminal investigation into the deaths.

Hollywood Police Chief Tom Sanchez said: 'Right now the building has been sealed off. We're conducting a criminal investigation inside.  

Five people are dead at a Florida nursing home after the building's air-conditioning broke down during Hurricane Irma (pictured: a patient is rolled out of the nursing home on a stretcher and taken to Memorial Regional Hospital)

'We believe at this time they may be related to the loss of power in the storm. We're conducting a criminal investigation, not ruling anything out at this time.'

Sanchez said officers were now checking another 42 nursing homes throughout the city to ensure the elderly residents were OK. 

Hollywood Fire Rescue and Police confirmed that all residents and staff, a total of 115 people, had been evacuated from the building. 

Footage from the scene on Wednesday morning showed patients being rolled out of the nursing home on stretchers and taken to Memorial Regional Hospital. 

The neighboring Larkin Community Hospital was also being evacuated, Local 10 reports. 

Two residents were confirmed dead at the Rehabilitation Center, in Hollywood, (pictured) while three others died a short time after being rushed to the nearby Memorial Regional Hospital for treatment 

Photos of inside the nursing home show a fairly basic set up with shared bedrooms which could have become unbearably hot at the temperatures increased without AC

At the Rehabilitation Center, in Hollywood Hills, Florida, Airstron employee Dave Long said he'd been calling Florida Power & Light for days to fix a fuse which appeared to have popped out during the hurricane - but to no avail.

'There's nothing we can do,' said a 'frustrated' Long. 'We've been calling and calling. It just doesn't seem to be going anywhere and I can't do anything until we get that fuse popped back in.' 

WSVN-TV report that the nursing home did appear to have a back up generator, although it does not appear to have been working. 

Generators can also come with their own health risks after three people were found dead inside an Orlando home Tuesday from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning. A portable generator was still running inside their home.

Another person died in Daytona Beach on Wednesday from carbon monoxide poisoning from an electric generator. 

Airstron employee Dave Long - who was called out to fix the problem - said he'd been calling Florida Power & Light for days to fix a fuse which appeared to have popped out during the hurricane (pictured is Hurricane Irma in Florida on September 10)

At least 18 people from Florida have died after Hurricane Irma swept through the state. Irma also claimed the lives of four in South Carolina and two in Georgia. At least 37 people were killed in the Caribbean.

Meanwhile, around half of Florida's entire population, 9.5 million, have been left without power.

Utility services have warned it could take 10 days or more for power to be fully restored across the state.

The Florida Keys were the hardest hit as drinking water and power were cut off, all three of the islands' hospitals closed, and gasoline supplies limited.

About 110,000 people remained in shelters across the state.