2025 – July 13, fire, Gabriel House assisted living home, Oliver Street, Fall River, MA– 10
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 7-17-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com
–10 ABC News. “10th victim dies from devastating fire at assisted-living facility in Massachusetts.”
Narrative Information
July 17, ABC News. “10th victim dies from devastating fire at assisted-living facility in Massachusetts.”
“A 10th victim has died as a result of injuries sustained in a devastating fire at an assisted-living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, according to the district attorney’s office.
“Brenda Cropper, 66, was hospitalized in critical condition following Sunday night’s five-alarm blaze at the Gabriel House, and succumbed to her injuries on Wednesday [16th], Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced on Thursday….
“the fire started in a room on the second floor.”
Chronological
July 14: WBZ News, CBS Boston. “9 dead in Fall River, Massachusetts assisted living…” :
“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.
“More than 30 people were rushed to hospitals and five firefighters suffered minor injuries, Bacon said in an emotional news conference. 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 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.”
“”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.
….
“There’s no word yet on how or where the fire started. 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.”
….
“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.”
“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….”
“The Gabriel House is a non-profit that opened in 1999 and has 100 single-bed units… 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….” (WBZ News, CBS Boston. “9 dead in Fall River, Massachusetts assisted living home fire. Chief calls it ‘unfathomable tragedy.’” 7-14-2025.)
Boston 25 News. “Inadequate staffing hindered response to deadly fire…” 7-14-2025:
“FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP/Boston25News) – A Massachusetts firefighters union says inadequate staffing hindered the response to a fire at an assisted living facility that killed nine people on Sunday night.
“The firefighters in Fall River said they could have saved more lives with more manpower. The blaze late Sunday trapped residents at Gabriel House, a facility about 50 miles south of Boston. Union officials told a news conference Monday that firefighters were unable to mount an adequate response because the city does not have enough staff.
“Union officials said the closing of fire companies and cutbacks on staff have been a problem for decades.
“International Association of Fire Fighters President Edward Kelly said if staffing had been at the nationally recommended level, there would have been eight more firefighters at the scene Sunday night. ‘There’s no doubt that would’ve made a difference in the amount of people that we lost to this terrible fire last night,” Kelly said. “Lives would’ve been saved if the Fall River Fire Department were adequately staffed.’
….
“Firefighters responding to Gabriel House around 9:30 p.m. found heavy fire at the main entrance of the building and residents hanging out of windows and doorways, waiting to be rescued….”
July 15, NYT: “….Some survivors of the fire, and some others familiar with the property, Gabriel House, said that some residents had smoked in their rooms, although smoking indoors was not permitted. And one former employee who worked there for more than a year said she never saw the staff perform fire drills or practice emergency evacuations, despite a population that included many older patients with mobility limitations who used walkers, wheelchairs or scooters to get around.
“ ‘No fire drills, no practice, no tests,” said Jenn Marley, a certified nursing assistant who said she worked at Gabriel House in 2018 and 2019, and left the job of her own accord. “All they said when I was hired was, There’s an evacuation plan posted on the wall.’
….
“The Executive Office of Aging & Independence, which oversees assisted living facilities, cited Gabriel House for missing or inconsistent documentation, and for missing or incomplete components of quality assurance and performance improvement requirements, in 2023. After the facility submitted a plan for corrections, the state certified Gabriel House’s continued operation through November of this year.
….
“Seven of the fire victims were identified: [We place names in separate lines.]
Rui Albernaz, 64;
Ronald Codega, 61;
Margaret Duddy, 69;
Robert King, 78;
Kim Mackin, 71;
Richard Rochon, 78; and
[Joseph Wilansky, 77] MassLive.com. “Additional Fall River…victims identified.” 7-16-2025.
Eleanor Willett, 86.
“The names of two others, a 70-year-old woman and a 77-year-old man, were withheld as of Monday pending family notification.
….
“Of the 18 people who were treated at Saint Anne’s Hospital in Fall River, 10 had been discharged or were ready to be discharged on Tuesday, six remained hospitalized, and two had been transferred to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, R.I., a spokeswoman said….” (New York Times (Jenna Russell). “Speculation Swirls After Deadly Fire at Massachusetts Assisted Living Facility.” 7-15-2025.)
July 15, CBS News: “Only 2 people were working at assisted living home on night of deadly fire, employee says. Debbie Johnson says she worked the third shift as a nursing assistant at Gabriel House in Fall River, Massachusetts. She claims only two inexperienced employees were on when a deadly fire broke out earlier this week. Tom Hanson reports.”
July 16, MassLive.com: “The Fall River assisted-living facility where a fatal fire killed nine people was caring for dozens of aging residents reliant on wheelchairs and oxygen tanks, but it lacked the safety measures and most of the staffing requirements that are commonplace in nursing homes….advocates argue that the absence of any federal regulations and spotty state rules mean the sector is largely left to police itself.
“ ‘The real issue is that assisted livings operate in an environment like the Wild West,” said Richard Mollot, executive director of the Long Term Care Community Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for improved care in nursing and assisted-living facilities. “They can pretty much do what they want with impunity, and that results in a lot of, I would say, mini-catastrophes every day, frankly.’
“The fire that tore through the three-story structure late Sunday raised a host of questions about conditions at the dilapidated facility and put the spotlight on the growing number of assisted-living centers in the state and nationwide.
“Created in the 1980s, assisted living has been marketed as an option for older adults who need some assistance but not as much help as a nursing home. Advocates argue that regulations for the facilities have not kept up as more locations have opened.
“Nursing homes, for example, are governed by federal regulations because they receive Medicare and Medicaid while there are no federal regulations for assisted-living facilities. Nursing homes must have a minimum number of staffers and trained medical professionals such as doctors and nurses, but assisted-living facilities have no such requirements.
“ ‘The regulations are minimal,’ said Liane Zeitz, an attorney who is also a member of the state Assisted Living Residences Commission, a body created to make recommendations about the sector. She has advocated for more regulations for assisted-living facilities.
“The facilities were lightly regulated because initially they were regarded as residential, with lower levels of care and less oversight, she said. But now those facilities are caring for a population ‘that is much frailer, and the population is growing.’
“Not only are the regulations weaker for assisted-living facilities, but advocates argue that the enforcement of the existing rules is often lax.
“Paul Lanzikos, a former Massachusetts secretary of elder affairs and co-founder of the advocacy group Dignity Alliance, described a “patchwork” of regulations across the country, with different agencies involved depending on the state. ‘Some of the states are much more regulated. Some are regulated as a health care entity. Others, as we do here in Massachusetts, are considered a residential housing model,’ he said.
….
“Speaking Wednesday after learning about the Gabriel House fire, Mollot said the problems that plagued that facility are not unique to Massachusetts.
‘Unlike nursing homes, assisted living has no federal state requirements, no requirement for staffing, no requirements for staff training, no requirements for safety protocols, no requirements for inspections.. That falls to the states, and the states have overall very weak rules.’ ”
(MassLive.com. “Deadly Fall River fire highlights minimal regulations that govern assisted-living facilities.” 7-16-2025.)
July 16, CBS News: “The mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts said only two people were working at the Gabriel House when a fire broke out Sunday night, killing nine residents at the assisted living facility. An employee told CBS News both workers were new to the job.
“There were 70 residents living in the building at the time, many of them with mobility issues. Thirty were hurt in the fire and one remains in critical condition. There’s no word yet from the State Fire Marshal’s office on how or where the fire started.
“Mayor Paul Coogan said the owner of the facility, Dennis Etzkorn, has stopped cooperating and is no longer picking up the phone. Etzkorn has not responded to several requests for comment from both CBS News and WBZ-TV this week.
“ “To me, he should be down here every day. Just like we are, just like you guys are,” Coogan said Tuesday. “But I want him to know that these are his residents, and he might as well push them on the sidewalk and say have a nice day, if he’s not going to follow up.” ….” (CBS News. “Fall River mayor says only 2 Gabriel House employees were working night of deadly assisted living fire.” 7-16-2025.)
Source
ABC News. “10th victim dies from devastating fire at assisted-living facility in Massachusetts.” 7-17-2025. Accessed 7-17-2025 at:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/fire-assisted-living-facility-destined-kill-50-people/story?id=123800508
Boston 25 News. “Inadequate staffing hindered response to deadly fire at Fall River assisted living home, union says.” 7-14-2025. Accessed 7-14-2025 at: https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/inadequate-staffing-hindered-response-deadly-fire-fall-river-assisted-living-home-union-says/FGMGYFWIERHM3PVOJBK5PLMB24/
CBS News. “Fall River mayor says only 2 Gabriel House employees were working night of deadly assisted living fire.” 7-16-2025. Accessed 7-16-2025 at: https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/fall-river-gabriel-house-fire-9-killed/
CBS News. “Only 2 people were working at assisted living home on night of deadly fire, employee says.” 7-15-2025. Accessed 7-18-2025 at: https://www.cbsnews.com/live/#x
MassLive.com. “Additional Fall River assisted living fire victims identified.” 7-16-2025. Accessed 7-16-2025 at: https://www.masslive.com/news/2025/07/additional-fall-river-assisted-living-fire-victim-identified.html
MassLive.com. “Deadly Fall River fire highlights minimal regulations that govern assisted-living facilities.” 7-16-2025. Accessed 7-16-2025 at: https://www.masslive.com/news/2025/07/deadly-fall-river-fire-highlights-minimal-regulations-that-govern-assisted-living-facilities.html
New York Times (Jenna Russell). “Speculation Swirls After Deadly Fire at Massachusetts Assisted Living Facility.” 7-15-2025. Accessed 7-16-2025 at: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/us/fire-gabriel-house-fall-river-massachusetts.html
WBZ News, CBS Boston. “9 dead in Fall River, Massachusetts assisted living home fire. Chief calls it ‘unfathomable tragedy.’” 7-14-2025. Accessed 7-14-2025 at: https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/fall-river-assisted-living-home-massachusetts-fire/