Nine people have died in a fire at an assisted living home in Fall River, Massachusetts, according to authorities. The fire chief called it “an unfathomable tragedy.”
Flames broke out around 9:30 p.m. Sunday at the Gabriel House 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 Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey 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.
“There were some that perished in the building and some perished after being transported,” Bacon said.
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,” he 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.”
“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.
“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.”
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 Gabriel House 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.
“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.
Fall River is about 50 miles south of Boston and 20 miles southeast of Providence, Rhode Island.