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.
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. 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.
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“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 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.
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.
Michael Casey / AP 
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.”
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.
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