‘He was a tough cookie': Vietnam veteran among those lost in fire
'He was a tough cookie, but he always made you laugh and smile, Johnson said in a brief phone interview Monday.
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Her mother, Judy, was Rochon's sister, Johnson said.
'I know my mom is taking it pretty hard,' Johnson said, adding that she and her family appreciated the work of first responders.
'I want to thank all of the firefighters and the ambulances and everybody who did show up to help,' Johnson said. 'It is unfortunate that it happened the way it happened.'
Deborah Dixon, whose mother-in-law,
'She was a lovely lady, and that's all. She loved everybody, she was easy going. She'd do anything for anybody,' Dixon said in a brief phone interview.
Willett had lived with Dixon and her husband — Willett's son — for about 20 years before moving to Gabriel House a little over a year ago.
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'She made friends, and she enjoyed it,' Dixon said
,
referring to Gabriel House. 'They were good to her.'
As of Monday, the family still didn't know what happened at the facility, she said.
'We're hanging in there, as best we can,' Dixon said.
Thirty residents were hospitalized, including one who remained in critical condition Monday afternoon. Five firefighters were also taken to the hospital for minor injuries and have been discharged, according to Quinn's office.
The investigation was ongoing Monday, but the cause did not appear to be suspicious, according to Quinn's office.
'My heart goes out to all of the victims, their families and all of those impacted by this terrible tragedy. I would like to commend the first responders for their efforts in bringing many of the residents to safety while being confronted with very difficult circumstances,' Quinn said in a statement.
'We will continue to cooperate with the authorities and provide them with any information they may need throughout the investigative process regarding the cause and origin of this fire,' Etzkorn said in statement.
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John Hilliard can be reached at
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