2025-07-16
Could Witherspoon pitch for Boston in 2026? His college coach thinks so
Fall River will increase firefighter staffing in the wake of an assisted-living facility blaze that’s one of the deadliest fires in recent Massachusetts history, the city’s mayor and union officials said Wednesday.The firefighter’s union has said inadequate staffing hindered the response to the blaze and contributed to the death toll, which stood at nine on Wednesday, with two people in critical condition. Mayor Paul Coogan had said there would be time for conversations about staffing levels as the immediate need to help people subsided. But on Wednesday, both sides joined for a news conference and announced that four more of the city’s fire trucks will be staffed with four firefighters, up to six from two. “This is a very important issue that’s been in the spotlight for the last few days,” Coogan said, calling it a “positive step” that will make city residents safer. Questions have also arisen about the facility’s safety and disaster preparedness after the state previously cited it for failing to report numerous health and safety incidents. Those questions remained under investigation Wednesday.Here’s what to know about the blaze, its victims, and how authorities and residents have reacted in the aftermath:What we know about the fireFirefighters responded to the Gabriel House in Fall River, about 50 miles south of Boston, at about 9:50 p.m. Sunday and were met with heavy smoke and flames at the front of the building.The fire trapped residents inside, including some who were hanging out windows screaming for help, authorities said Monday. At least 30 people were hurt.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. Five injured firefighters were released from the hospital Monday.The blaze’s origin and cause are under investigation, and the Bristol County district attorney’s office said the cause “does not appear to be suspicious.”What we know about the Gabriel HouseThe three-story Gabriel House is a 100-unit assisted-living facility that opened in 1999, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Aging and Independence. The facility’s 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.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.Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey at a news conference 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. Family members have already begun sharing their stories.On Wednesday, the district attorney’s office released the identity of the eighth of the nine people killed in the fire, 77-year-old Joseph Wilansky. The identity of the ninth person, a 70-year-old woman, is not being publicly released because family members have yet to be notified.Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said at Wednesday that two others remain hospitalized in critical condition. While the district attorney’s office said Massachusetts State Police have received preliminary information from the Gabriel House that two residents remain hospitalized in critical condition, they said they have not yet been able to confirm that information with the hospital. They said they can only confirm at this time that one 66-year-old female resident remains in critical condition.Records show that the facility was cited for failing to immediately report more than two dozen health and safety incidents. The facility was last inspected by the state on Oct. 31, 2023, according to a report from the state Executive Office of Elder Affairs. The report cited the facility for seven deficiencies, four of which were repeat problems. After the facility responded with a corrective action plan, it was re-certified through November 2025.Dennis Etzkorn, the facility’s owner, declined to comment Monday, but officials said he was cooperating with the investigation.Tension over fire preparedness and responseA firefighters union said inadequate staffing hindered the response to the blaze and contributed to the death toll. One fire captain said no breathing equipment was available 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.Coogan, the mayor, had said fire department staffing is based on the fire chief’s recommendations.“You couldn’t have had enough people here to save everybody that needed help last night,” Bacon said.But the mayor and union were conciliatory at Wednesday’s press conference, with both sides encouraged the progress in boosting staffing levels, while still aiming for adding four more firefighter positions, so all 10 of the city’s trucks can be staffed with four firefighters.“The language was spicy and it went back and forth, but it was only spicy in the same direction,” Coogan said of the discussions.International Association of Fire Fighters President Ed Kelly, whom Coogan referred to as “my new friend” also spoke, stressed that staffing issues are “not just a Fall River problem,” and said that decisionmakers across Massachusetts and the country should prioritize hiring more firefighters. “We don’t want to have the conversation after the tragedy,” Kelly said.Several residents praised firefighters and police for heroic rescue efforts but said staff members did little to help.Richard Moore, a former head of the Massachusetts Assisted Living Association and a former longtime state senator, called on the attorney general to investigate. He said he was troubled by what he heard about the circumstances leading up to the fire, including insufficient fire drills and an owner who was indicted in 2012 on medical assistance fraud and kickback charges that were dismissed three years later.Deadliest fire in Mass. in 40 yearsThe Fall River blaze is the deadliest fire in Massachusetts since 15 people were killed in 1984 in a rooming house fire in Beverly, according to the state Department of Fire Services. Eight people were killed in a 1982 apartment fire in Lowell, seven people were killed in a 1978 apartment fire in Lawrence, and six firefighters died in a 1999 warehouse fire in Worcester.Head cook Paul Ferreira said the people at Gabriel House had long struggled to find affordable housing.How to helpThere are several ways to donate to those impacted by the deadly fire at the Gabriel House that have been sanctioned by the city.Donations have already been pouring into the city’s Timao Center, which has served as a temporary shelter for the survivors.“It’s been amazing, my car is absolutely stuffed,” said Niki Fontaine, the city’s director of outreach services.The city has posted information on several ways to help, including donating money to the United Way of Greater Fall River and the Firefighter Wives Association. They said the greatest need is for clothes, shoes and other basic items; counseling; housing; funeral services; assistance for veterans and document replacement.Fontaine elaborated, saying, “What we still really need are sneakers, plus-size stuff, PJs, phone chargers, books or activities... sleepwear, socks, underwear, stuff like that.”Catholic Charities is collecting donations at 1600 Bay Street in Fall River. Donations can be dropped off Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.More on the Fall River fireFall River20 hours ago‘Very important part of our family': Loved ones mourn those killed in Fall River firePhilanthropyJul 15How to help the victims of the deadly Fall River assisted-living facility fireMassachusettsJul 15Questions remain about Fall River assisted living facility fire that killed 9
