US: Fire in Massachusetts care home kills 9 residents – DW – 07/14/2025
A fire at a care home facility in the US state of Massachusetts killed 9 residents and left some 30 others injured, local authorities said on Monday.
The incident took place on Sunday at 9:50 p.m local time (02:50 UTC/GMT) at the Gabriel House facility in the community of Fall River, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of the city of Boston.
Fall River is one of the poorest cities in the state of Massachusetts with some 94,000 residents.
Flames and smoke spread through the facility, trapping residents inside, some of which were found leaning out of windows and screaming for help, authorities said Monday.
The city opened a temporary shelter to assist the surviving residents.
Some 50 firefighters responded to the scene, including 30 who were off-duty. They were met with heavy smoke and flames in the front portion of the building.
Authorities had to break down doors to rescue a dozen residents. Five firefighters were injured during the operation.
"This is an unfathomable tragedy for the families involved and the Fall River community," Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said.
The origin and cause of the fire are unknown and now being investigated.
According to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Aging & Independence, the Gabriel House opened in 1999 and has 100 units.
The facility promotes studio apartments "for those seniors who cannot afford the high end of assisted living" as well as group adult foster care, according to the website.
It is located within walking distance of shopping, restaurants and churches.
Facility owner Dennis Etzkorn did not comment on the fire but according to authorities, he is cooperating with the investigation.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has offered state assistance to the Fall River community and gave her condolences to the families of those who died, while also thanking first respondents for their work.
"Right now, the first order of business is to make sure we're assisting the city in every way possible in rehousing what is a vulnerable population," Healey said. "All of these people need assistance. As you saw, many were in wheelchairs, many were immobile, many had oxygen tanks," she added.
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DW
20 hours ago
- DW
Massachusetts fire kills 9 care home residents – DW – 07/14/2025
The fire trapped residents inside, triggering a rescue operation in what officials are calling an 'unfathomable tragedy.' The facility housed lower income seniors in one of the poorest cities of Massachussetts. A fire at a care home facility in the US state of Massachusetts killed 9 residents and left some 30 others injured, local authorities said on Monday. The incident took place on Sunday at 9:50 p.m local time (02:50 UTC/GMT) at the Gabriel House facility in the community of Fall River, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of the city of Boston. Fall River is one of the poorest cities in the state of Massachusetts with some 94,000 residents. Flames and smoke spread through the facility, trapping residents inside, some of which were found leaning out of windows and screaming for help, authorities said Monday. The city opened a temporary shelter to assist the surviving residents. Some 50 firefighters responded to the scene, including 30 who were off-duty. They were met with heavy smoke and flames in the front portion of the building. Authorities had to break down doors to rescue a dozen residents. Five firefighters were injured during the operation. "This is an unfathomable tragedy for the families involved and the Fall River community," Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said. The origin and cause of the fire are unknown and now being investigated. According to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Aging & Independence, the Gabriel House opened in 1999 and has 100 units. The facility promotes studio apartments "for those seniors who cannot afford the high end of assisted living" as well as group adult foster care, according to the website. It is located within walking distance of shopping, restaurants and churches. Facility owner Dennis Etzkorn did not comment on the fire but according to authorities, he is cooperating with the investigation. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has offered state assistance to the Fall River community and gave her condolences to the families of those who died, while also thanking first respondents for their work. "Right now, the first order of business is to make sure we're assisting the city in every way possible in rehousing what is a vulnerable population," Healey said. "All of these people need assistance. As you saw, many were in wheelchairs, many were immobile, many had oxygen tanks," she added.
DW
a day ago
- DW
US: Fire in Massachusetts care home kills 9 residents – DW – 07/14/2025
The fire trapped residents inside, triggering a rescue operation in what officials are calling an 'unfathomable tragedy.' The facility housed lower income seniors in one of the poorest cities of Massachussetts. A fire at a care home facility in the US state of Massachusetts killed 9 residents and left some 30 others injured, local authorities said on Monday. The incident took place on Sunday at 9:50 p.m local time (02:50 UTC/GMT) at the Gabriel House facility in the community of Fall River, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of the city of Boston. Fall River is one of the poorest cities in the state of Massachusetts with some 94,000 residents. Flames and smoke spread through the facility, trapping residents inside, some of which were found leaning out of windows and screaming for help, authorities said Monday. The city opened a temporary shelter to assist the surviving residents. Some 50 firefighters responded to the scene, including 30 who were off-duty. They were met with heavy smoke and flames in the front portion of the building. Authorities had to break down doors to rescue a dozen residents. Five firefighters were injured during the operation. "This is an unfathomable tragedy for the families involved and the Fall River community," Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said. The origin and cause of the fire are unknown and now being investigated. According to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Aging & Independence, the Gabriel House opened in 1999 and has 100 units. The facility promotes studio apartments "for those seniors who cannot afford the high end of assisted living" as well as group adult foster care, according to the website. It is located within walking distance of shopping, restaurants and churches. Facility owner Dennis Etzkorn did not comment on the fire but according to authorities, he is cooperating with the investigation. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has offered state assistance to the Fall River community and gave her condolences to the families of those who died, while also thanking first respondents for their work. "Right now, the first order of business is to make sure we're assisting the city in every way possible in rehousing what is a vulnerable population," Healey said. "All of these people need assistance. As you saw, many were in wheelchairs, many were immobile, many had oxygen tanks," she added.
Int'l Business Times
04-07-2025
- Int'l Business Times
Pakistan Building Collapse Kills 7
A five-storey building collapsed in Pakistan on Friday, killing at least seven people and injuring eight, officials said, with rescuers searching through the rubble for trapped victims. The incident happened shortly after 10 am (0500 GMT) in the impoverished Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi, which was once plagued by gang violence and considered one of the most dangerous areas in Pakistan. Shankar Kamho, 30, a resident of the building who was out at the time, said around 20 families were living inside. "I got a call from my wife saying the building was cracking and I told her to get out immediately," he told AFP at the scene. "She went to warn the neighbours, but one woman told her 'this building will stand for at least 10 more years'. Still, my wife took our daughter and left. About 20 minutes later, the building collapsed." Rescuers retrieved seven bodies from the rubble, and rescued eight injured people, an official leading the operations, Abid Jalaluddin Shaikh, told AFP. Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab confirmed the death toll to reporters as he visited the site. Up to 100 people had been living in the building, senior police officer Arif Aziz told AFP. Saad Edhi, of the Edhi welfare foundation that is part of the rescue operation, told AFP there could be "at least eight to 10 more people still trapped", describing it as a "worn-out building". Nearby residents rushed to save their neighbours before rescuers took over to remove the rubble, along with at least five excavators. The heavy machinery struggled to access the narrow alleys, and police baton-charged residents to clear the way. All six family members of 70-year-old Jumho Maheshwari were at his flat on the first floor when he left for work early in the morning. "Nothing is left for me now -- my family is all trapped and all I can do is pray for their safe recovery," he told AFP. Another resident, Maya Sham Jee, said her brother's family was also trapped under the rubble. "It's a tragedy for us. The world has been changed for our family," she told AFP. "We are helpless and just looking at the rescue workers to bring our loved ones back safely." In June 2020, at least 18 people were killed when a residential building housing about 40 apartments collapsed in the same area of the city. Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, mainly because of poor safety standards and shoddy construction materials in the South Asian country of more than 240 million people. But Karachi, home to more than 20 million, is especially notorious for poor construction, illegal extensions, ageing infrastructure, overcrowding, and lax enforcement of building regulations.
