Fatal blaze at assisted-living center raises questions on safety and firefighter staffing

Questions and finger-pointing have increased in the days since a fire at a Massachusetts assisted-living facility killed nine and hurt dozens, as some residents had to hang out of windows screaming for help.

Union officials say the city didn't staff enough firefighters to rescue all the residents trapped in the blaze, and the facility's owner had a previous citation for failing to report numerous health and safety incidents. The tragedy has also called attention to the minimal regulations that govern assisted-living facilities.

Here's what to know about the blaze, its victims, and how authorities and residents have reacted in the aftermath.

No foul play is suspected, but the cause is still unknown

The fire started in a room on the second floor on the east side of the Gabriel House facility, but details about the exact origin and cause are under investigation, and the Bristol County district attorney’s office said the cause “does not appear to be suspicious.”

The city's fire chief teared up Wednesday as he described the chaotic scene his crew faced when they arrived at around 9:50 p.m. Sunday, finding heavy smoke and flames at the front of the building.

"They described seeing faces in windows,” Chief Jeffrey Bacon told reporters, choking back tears. “And having to decide who to rescue.”

A firefighter hoisted six residents, one by one, over his shoulder and carried them to safety. The smoke was so thick on the second floor that two other firefighters couldn't see their hands in front of their faces. Another dragged a resident down the hall to a waiting colleague.

“That wing had nobody who could escape on their own,” he said.

Status of the victims

Two of the roughly 30 injured people were in critical condition on Wednesday, Bacon said, up from just one person a day earlier.

Gov. Maura Healey has described the facility’s residents as a vulnerable population with many in wheelchairs and having oxygen tanks. Those who died ranged in age from 61 to 86, Bacon said.

Tension over fire preparedness and response

A day after the fire, the firefighters union said inadequate staffing hindered the fire response and contributed to the death toll. One fire captain said breathing equipment was unavailable when he arrived, so he searched door to door without an air tank until the smoke got to him.

“We did the best we could with what we had, and what we had was not enough,” said Michael O’Reagan, president of the Fall River firefighters union.

About 50 firefighters responded to the scene, including 30 who were off-duty. Police helped break down doors and carried about a dozen residents to safety.

By Wednesday, city officials said they had figured out a plan to add more firefighters to each shift, initially via overtime and eventually by hiring new staff. The cost for the additional staffing is estimated to be nearly $1.5 million, Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan said.

Home to around 94,000 people, the city in southern Massachusetts is one of the poorest in the state.

A growing outcry

The blaze in Fall River is the state's deadliest fire since 1984 when 15 people were killed in a rooming house, according to the state Department of Fire Services.

Richard Moore, a former head of the Massachusetts Assisted Living Association and a former longtime state senator, called on the attorney general to investigate. Moore said he'd heard reports of insufficient fire drills and an owner who was indicted in 2012 on medical assistance fraud and kickback charges that were dismissed three years later.

Dennis Etzkorn, the facility’s owner, has declined to comment.

What is known about Gabriel House

The assisted-living facility was cited for failing to report more than two dozen health and safety incidents within a day after they occurred, as required by state law, according to regulators’ most recent review of the facility.

The Gabriel House website promotes studio apartments “for those seniors who cannot afford the high end of assisted living,” as well as group adult foster care within walking distance of shopping, restaurants and churches. It has three floors with 100 units and opened in 1999, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Aging and Independence.

Those who live alone in studio apartments, arranged around a central courtyard area, pay between $1,850 and $2,400 monthly, depending on their level of services, according to the website. The residence also offers a basic living plan that includes shared studio apartments, but doesn't specify a price.

“If an emergency occurs, no matter the time, there will be someone ready to help,” the website states.

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Contributors to this report include Associated Press writers Michael Casey and Kimberlee Kruesi in Fall River, Massachusetts; Michelle R. Smith in Providence, Rhode Island; and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire.