Story by Mike Toole
Nine
people were killed and one was critically injured in an assisted living
home fire in Fall River, Massachusetts, authorities said. Fall River
Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon called the fire at Gabriel House "an
unfathomable tragedy."
Flames
broke out just after 9:30 p.m. Sunday at the facility on Oliver Street.
When firefighters arrived, they found heavy flames and smoke coming
through the main entrance and several people hanging out of the windows,
waiting to be rescued, according to Bacon.
About 30 residents were rushed to hospitals and five firefighters suffered minor injuries, Bacon said in an emotional news conference.
The firefighters have since been released from the hospital. In
addition to the nine residents who were killed, another was in critical
condition Monday morning. Some of the residents were pronounced dead at
the scene, while others died at the hospital.
"They had someone they were carrying with hands and feet. They were screaming, 'We need a medic!'" one witness said.
One
of those killed was 86-year-old Eleanor Willet, her grandson told
WBZ-TV. He declined to comment, but Willet's son, David Dixon, said he
is still trying to wrap his head around what happened.
"Ya,
I'm alright right now. But I don't know what it's going to be like
later, like maybe when it all sinks in, I really don't know," David
Dixon told WBZ-TV.
Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn
identified the other victims as
64-year-old Rui Albernaz, 61-year-old Ronald Codega, 69-year-old
Margaret Duddy, 78-year-old Robert King, 71-year-old Kim Mackin and
78-year-old Richard Rochon. The names of a 70-year-old woman and a
77-year-old man who died in the fire have not been released yet.
Resident Albert Almanza, who uses an oxygen tank, survived the fire, thanks to a police officer who got him out safely.
"I
went to my room door, I opened it, all the smoke from the hall went
right in my face and all I could do was stand there and choke," he said.
"And I thought it was going to be the end of everything."
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey met with a few of the survivors Monday afternoon and heard their stories.
"They
were in their bed or they had just had their medication and they're
about to go to bed. They hear some noise and lights and shouting,"
Healey said. "A lot of them are immobile, you know. They're in
wheelchairs or they have walkers. They can't easily move and they were
disoriented."
Fall River Fire, Police, EMS saved "multiple lives"
"We
had at least a dozen people rescued over ladders. The police
department, fire department and EMS were able to enact dozens of rescues
to save multiple lives," Bacon said.
"Were
it not for the heroic work, brave work, of these men and women who
showed last night, particularly our fire, police and EMS, we would have
seen much greater loss of life," Healey said at a late morning news conference at the scene.
There's
no word yet on how or where the fire started, but the district attorney
said the cause does not appear to be suspicious at this time. About 50
firefighters were called in, including about 30 who were off-duty, State
Fire Marshal Jon Davine said. Bacon said "every police officer in the
city was here too."
"The
fire investigators from the Fall River Fire Department and the state
fire marshal's office will be in the building along with code compliance
and they're going to try to put the scene back together and figure out
what exactly happened," the fire chief said.
Fall
River Mayor Paul Coogan said there were sprinklers in the building.
Bacon told reporters the fire damage was contained to one wing but there
is smoke damage throughout the three-story home. The alarms could be
heard in the background during the Monday morning news conference, but
Bacon did not know if they were working at the time of the fire.
"Smoke
kills more people than fire does, every day in America. I think the
lesson that can be learned here is that listen to your smoke detectors
and react because smoke is a very deadly force," he said.
Bacon
said there were several oxygen tanks in the facility, but that they
were "irrelevant" to the fire "at this time." He added that air
conditioners in the windows made it difficult for firefighters during
the rescues.
"An unfathomable tragedy for the families"
"This
is an unfathomable tragedy for the families involved and the Fall River
community," Bacon said in a statement before the news conference
Monday. "On behalf of the Fall River Fire Department, I want to express
our heartfelt condolences to the loved ones who are grieving this
morning."
The family of Brenda Andrade
said that she was in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital in
Providence. They told WBZ-TV that she had received burns on 50 percent
of her body and that they were anxiously awaiting the chance to see her.
Families
who had loved ones at the home can get more information at the chapel
at St. Anne's Hospital, which is across the street from the assisted
living center. They can also call 508-674-5741. The fire chief said all
medications in the facility were being removed.
A
temporary shelter has been set up for residents at the Timao Center on
Bay Street, where at least 35 residents were being cared for. Mayor
Coogan says that most of the residents have been transferred to nearby
facilities as of Monday night.
The
Fall River community rallied to support the survivors and families of
victims at the shelter, carrying goods and providing emotional support
for families.
Gabriel House
The Gabriel House is a non-profit that opened in 1999 and has 100 single-bed units, according to its website and Mass.gov. The state fire marshal said about 70 people were living at the home before the fire.
The
last official state inspection of Gabriel House was on October 15,
2024. That inspection certificate is scheduled to expire this coming
October 15.
Some
of the survivors said they liked living at the home, but many noted the
elevator hadn't worked for eight months and that it was just very
recently fixed.
"I
was told that they had their inspection for the year July 8th, so if
something happened it had to have been after July 8th," Mayor Coogan
told reporters Monday afternoon.
"Nobody is programmed to deal with this"
Bacon said he will visit all of the fire stations in the city to make sure they have the support they need.
"Everyone
thinks firefighters are heroes and they're just designed to be able to
deal with anything, but that's not the case. The mental health aspect of
this, for not just for the firefighters, the police officers, the EMTs
and the families that were here. I'm a strong advocate for mental health
support and I would say that for anybody that was at this scene last
night, not just firefighters, police officers, EMS, to seek the help
that you need to deal with the tragic situation like this. Nobody is
programmed to deal with this," Bacon said.
"I
just want to say to the families and friends of those who perished, I
offer my condolences, deepest condolences and sympathy on behalf of the
Commonwealth for this tragic loss. We lost nine folks last night in this
terrible tragedy and our hearts and our sympathies are with their
families," Healey said. "I pledge to the mayor and the people of Fall
River that my administration will do everything we can to offer support
and assistance at this time."
Union says staffing was inadequate
In a press conference on Monday afternoon, union officials said the Fall River fire department is understaffed.
"Had
they been staffed properly up to national standards, there would have
been eight more firefighters affecting rescues here last night," Edward
Kelly, general president of the International Association of
Firefighters, said. "Lives would have been saved if the Fall River fire
department were adequately staffed."
The
National Fire Protection Association recommends that each company have
four firefighters. The union says that most Fall River companies only
have three, but the President of the Massachusetts Fire Chiefs'
Association explained that most departments in the state can't meet that
ideal number.
"We
did the best we could with what we had," Fall River Firefighters Union
president Michael O'Regan said. "And what we had was not enough."
"As
far as staffing with the fire department. We staff to the number the
chief gives us. I don't set the number. I don't know enough about fire
department staffing. I can't figure out how they work those shifts. I
don't know enough about it. He asked for a number and we gave it to
him," Mayor Coogan said.
WBZ-TV has reached out to the Fall River fire chief for comment on firefighter staffing levels.
Where is Fall River, Massachusetts?
Fall River is in southeastern Massachusetts, about 50 miles south of Boston and 20 miles southeast of Providence, Rhode Island.
Full Article & Source:
9 dead in Fall River assisted living home fire. "Unfathomable tragedy," chief says.
