Latest news with #JeffreyBacon
CBS News
4 hours ago
- CBS News
Watch Live: Fall River, Massachusetts fire chief update on deadly assisted living fire
There's no word yet on what caused the tragic deadly fire at the Gabriel House assisted living home in Fall River, Massachusetts. Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon will have an update at 1 p.m. Tuesday on the investigation. You can watch it live on CBS News Boston in the video above. Nine residents, all over the age of 60, were killed in the fire Sunday night. Thirty were hurt and one remained in critical condition Tuesday. Bristol County District Attorney Tom Quinn said the cause "does not appear to be suspicious at this time." The owner of Gabriel House, Dennis Etzkorn, said he's cooperating with authorities and told the Boston Globe he will "provide them with any information they may need." Investigators are looking at several possible issues that may have made fighting the fire and saving residents more difficult. Bacon said air conditioners in the windows were obstructions for firefighters during the rescues. Resident Lorraine Ferrara said when she walked into the hallway during the fire she was hit by hot water from the sprinkler system. She went back into her room and later was saved by a firefighter who broke a window and got her out onto a ladder. "She didn't hear any smoke detectors" Bill Perlo's sister has lived in Gabriel House for 17 years. She told him the sprinklers did go off during the fire, but there were no smoke detectors. She was saved from her basement room by a firefighter. "She didn't hear any smoke detectors. That's the one thing, the common thing I heard when I was talking to all the people yesterday. If that was the case, maybe someone should look into that," Perlo told reporters Tuesday. Some residents told WBZ-TV Monday they heard alarms in the hallways, but not the rooms, during the fire. The alarms were heard in the background during a news conference Monday morning, hours after the fire. However, Bacon told reporters he didn't know if they were working at the time of the fire. WBZ has reached out to Etzkorn for comment on the sprinklers, smoke detectors and staffing at the home on the night of the fire, but he has not yet responded. Fall River Fire Department staffing The firefighters' union said Monday that the Fall River Fire Department was understaffed. Edward Kelly, the general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters said there would have been eight more firefighters at the scene if they had been staffed properly. Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan said the city staffs the department to the number the fire chief requests. The National Fire Protection Association recommends four firefighters per company. The union said most Fall River companies operate with three. However, the President of the Massachusetts Fire Chiefs' Association said many departments across the state struggle to meet that ideal standard.
DW
9 hours ago
- General
- 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.
CNN
10 hours ago
- CNN
An investigation is underway after a fire engulfed a Massachusetts assisted-living facility, killing 9 people. Here's what we know
Calls to 911 reporting a fire at an assisted-living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, began coming in shortly after 9:30 p.m. Sunday, marking the start of a prolonged emergency response to rescue the roughly 70 people who lived there, many of whom were wheelchair-bound or dependent on oxygen tanks. Despite the efforts of scores of firefighters – nearly half of whom were off duty at the time – and 'every police officer in the city,' nine Gabriel House residents died in the fire, according to officials. Those killed range in age from 61 to 86. Dozens of others were injured, one critically. Residents described being blinded by smoke as they tried to escape the three-story building. Some hung out of windows, begging to be rescued, Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said. Authorities, including the Massachusetts State Police, are investigating what started the fire, but the cause 'does not appear to be suspicious at this time,' the district attorney said in Monday afternoon. The owner of Gabriel House has promised to fully cooperate with investigators. 'It's a tragedy, no matter how it happened or what started it,' Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan told CNN. Here's what we know about the fire as the investigation continues: Many Gabriel House residents – unable to walk or reliant on oxygen tanks – were trapped as smoke filled the hallways. Loraine Ferrara told CNN affiliate WCVB she was rescued through her bathroom window. 'I thought I was dead … I couldn't breathe. I thought I was going to meet my maker.' Al Manza said he got a face full of smoke when he opened his door. 'All that I could do was just stand there and choke,' Manza told WCVB, noting he couldn't even see the hand of the firefighter who led him to safety through the dense smoke. Firefighters broke windows and evacuated residents on ladders. In some cases, air conditioning units had to be pushed out of windows to pull people to safety, according to the firefighers' union president. Many residents were unconscious or trapped and unable to escape on their own. One woman whose father lived at Gabriel House desperately tried to guide him to safety while they were on the phone. 'He was on the floor talking to me, and I am crying, telling him, 'Break the window. Try to break it,' because he is so weak, and he couldn't break it,' she told WCVB. Her father was rescued after she was able to direct firefighters to his location. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy emphasized the unique challenges of rescuing the assisted-living residents after visiting the scene, saying, 'All of these people needed assistance.' 'Many were in wheelchairs. Many were immobile. Many had oxygen tanks. They were severely compromised,' the governor said. Firefighters and police sped to the scene of the fire after the assisted-living facility's automatic alarm system triggered an emergency call. Still, first responders pleaded for additional help rescuing residents, many of whom were unconscious or unable to walk, according to Broadcastify audio from Sunday night. At the response's peak, about 65 firefighters were on the scene – nearly half of whom rushed to help even though they were off duty. 'Every police officer in the city' also rushed to the scene, the fire chief said. 'Everybody was rescuing people.' 'When I got here, what I saw was everyone overwhelmed,' said Michael O'Regan, one of the off-duty firefighters who responded and the president of the Fall River firefighters' union. Rushing to the fire meant going without breathing equipment for some of the off-duty responders, O'Regan said. 'I didn't have time to go get the stuff, and we didn't have any extra stuff, so we did what we had to do.' Frank O'Regan, Michael's brother and fellow firefighter, said he was horrified when he arrived 40 minutes into the response to find residents still trapped on Gabriel House's third floor. 'I couldn't believe that after all this time, there was still a full area with people trapped,' he said, calling it one of the events with the 'worst loss of life' he's seen in his career, he said. Understaffing of the Fall River Fire Department limited the response to Sunday's fire, according to Edward Kelly, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters. National standards call for four firefighters per company, but only two of Fall River's 10 companies meet that, he said, noting eight more firefighters could have been available if the standard was met. Bacon, the fire chief, acknowledged the shortfall and said that particular standard hasn't been met in the city since the 1980s or 90s. Gabriel House, founded in 1999, housed around 70 residents at the time of the fire, according to the Department of Fire Services. Two staff members were working overnight Sunday, Bacon said. The facility was set for recertification and a compliance review in November, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services told CNN. Massachusetts' Executive Office of Aging & Independence, the state agency responsible for certifying assisted-living residences, last conducted an onsite visit at Gabriel House at the end of October 2023. The facility was recertified that December, after addressing some areas of noncompliance, largely stemming from missing or delinquent documentation, according to reports reviewed by CNN. Gabriel House's owner, Dennis Etzkorn, said he and his family are 'devastated by the tragedy' that occurred Sunday night and pledged full cooperation with investigators. 'Our thoughts are with every one of our residents, their families, our staff, and the brave first responders,' Etzkorn said in the 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 faced criminal charges more than a decade ago that may have banned him from operating an assisted-living facility if he'd been convicted. He was accused of running a scheme to illegally pay kickbacks in order to receive Medicare patients, but prosecutors dropped the charges after a judge rule key evidence had been obtained improperly, according to records reviewed by CNN. Between 2003 and 2013, Etzkorn was sued in federal court at least three times by former employees who accused him of sexual harassment. Those cases were settled out of court, according to records. Authorities have identified seven of the nine Gabriel House residents who died in Sunday's fire. Three were in their 60s, five were in their 70s, and the oldest was 86 years old. Among them was Richard Rochon, a 78-year-old Vietnam veteran. Rochon's family mourned his death by highlighting the struggles he endured throughout his life – including PTSD, homelessness and affording health care – and called for better treatment of American veterans. 'We as a country should take care of veterans better,' the family said in a statement to CNN. 'They have served for our country; the least we can do is make sure they live a happy healthy retirement.' Around 30 residents were hospitalized after the fire, including one person in critical condition, the district attorney said. Dozens of residents displaced by the fire had found temporary housing as of Monday, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services. CNN's Jason Carroll, Sarah Boxer, Jillian Sykes, Casey Tolan, Isabelle Chapman and Majlie de Puy Kamp contributed to this report.
CNN
10 hours ago
- CNN
An investigation is underway after a fire engulfed a Massachusetts assisted-living facility, killing 9 people. Here's what we know
Calls to 911 reporting a fire at an assisted-living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, began coming in shortly after 9:30 p.m. Sunday, marking the start of a prolonged emergency response to rescue the roughly 70 people who lived there, many of whom were wheelchair-bound or dependent on oxygen tanks. Despite the efforts of scores of firefighters – nearly half of whom were off duty at the time – and 'every police officer in the city,' nine Gabriel House residents died in the fire, according to officials. Those killed range in age from 61 to 86. Dozens of others were injured, one critically. Residents described being blinded by smoke as they tried to escape the three-story building. Some hung out of windows, begging to be rescued, Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said. Authorities, including the Massachusetts State Police, are investigating what started the fire, but the cause 'does not appear to be suspicious at this time,' the district attorney said in Monday afternoon. The owner of Gabriel House has promised to fully cooperate with investigators. 'It's a tragedy, no matter how it happened or what started it,' Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan told CNN. Here's what we know about the fire as the investigation continues: Many Gabriel House residents – unable to walk or reliant on oxygen tanks – were trapped as smoke filled the hallways. Loraine Ferrara told CNN affiliate WCVB she was rescued through her bathroom window. 'I thought I was dead … I couldn't breathe. I thought I was going to meet my maker.' Al Manza said he got a face full of smoke when he opened his door. 'All that I could do was just stand there and choke,' Manza told WCVB, noting he couldn't even see the hand of the firefighter who led him to safety through the dense smoke. Firefighters broke windows and evacuated residents on ladders. In some cases, air conditioning units had to be pushed out of windows to pull people to safety, according to the firefighers' union president. Many residents were unconscious or trapped and unable to escape on their own. One woman whose father lived at Gabriel House desperately tried to guide him to safety while they were on the phone. 'He was on the floor talking to me, and I am crying, telling him, 'Break the window. Try to break it,' because he is so weak, and he couldn't break it,' she told WCVB. Her father was rescued after she was able to direct firefighters to his location. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy emphasized the unique challenges of rescuing the assisted-living residents after visiting the scene, saying, 'All of these people needed assistance.' 'Many were in wheelchairs. Many were immobile. Many had oxygen tanks. They were severely compromised,' the governor said. Firefighters and police sped to the scene of the fire after the assisted-living facility's automatic alarm system triggered an emergency call. Still, first responders pleaded for additional help rescuing residents, many of whom were unconscious or unable to walk, according to Broadcastify audio from Sunday night. At the response's peak, about 65 firefighters were on the scene – nearly half of whom rushed to help even though they were off duty. 'Every police officer in the city' also rushed to the scene, the fire chief said. 'Everybody was rescuing people.' 'When I got here, what I saw was everyone overwhelmed,' said Michael O'Regan, one of the off-duty firefighters who responded and the president of the Fall River firefighters' union. Rushing to the fire meant going without breathing equipment for some of the off-duty responders, O'Regan said. 'I didn't have time to go get the stuff, and we didn't have any extra stuff, so we did what we had to do.' Frank O'Regan, Michael's brother and fellow firefighter, said he was horrified when he arrived 40 minutes into the response to find residents still trapped on Gabriel House's third floor. 'I couldn't believe that after all this time, there was still a full area with people trapped,' he said, calling it one of the events with the 'worst loss of life' he's seen in his career, he said. Understaffing of the Fall River Fire Department limited the response to Sunday's fire, according to Edward Kelly, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters. National standards call for four firefighters per company, but only two of Fall River's 10 companies meet that, he said, noting eight more firefighters could have been available if the standard was met. Bacon, the fire chief, acknowledged the shortfall and said that particular standard hasn't been met in the city since the 1980s or 90s. Gabriel House, founded in 1999, housed around 70 residents at the time of the fire, according to the Department of Fire Services. Two staff members were working overnight Sunday, Bacon said. The facility was set for recertification and a compliance review in November, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services told CNN. Massachusetts' Executive Office of Aging & Independence, the state agency responsible for certifying assisted-living residences, last conducted an onsite visit at Gabriel House at the end of October 2023. The facility was recertified that December, after addressing some areas of noncompliance, largely stemming from missing or delinquent documentation, according to reports reviewed by CNN. Gabriel House's owner, Dennis Etzkorn, said he and his family are 'devastated by the tragedy' that occurred Sunday night and pledged full cooperation with investigators. 'Our thoughts are with every one of our residents, their families, our staff, and the brave first responders,' Etzkorn said in the 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 faced criminal charges more than a decade ago that may have banned him from operating an assisted-living facility if he'd been convicted. He was accused of running a scheme to illegally pay kickbacks in order to receive Medicare patients, but prosecutors dropped the charges after a judge rule key evidence had been obtained improperly, according to records reviewed by CNN. Between 2003 and 2013, Etzkorn was sued in federal court at least three times by former employees who accused him of sexual harassment. Those cases were settled out of court, according to records. Authorities have identified seven of the nine Gabriel House residents who died in Sunday's fire. Three were in their 60s, five were in their 70s, and the oldest was 86 years old. Among them was Richard Rochon, a 78-year-old Vietnam veteran. Rochon's family mourned his death by highlighting the struggles he endured throughout his life – including PTSD, homelessness and affording health care – and called for better treatment of American veterans. 'We as a country should take care of veterans better,' the family said in a statement to CNN. 'They have served for our country; the least we can do is make sure they live a happy healthy retirement.' Around 30 residents were hospitalized after the fire, including one person in critical condition, the district attorney said. Dozens of residents displaced by the fire had found temporary housing as of Monday, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services. CNN's Jason Carroll, Sarah Boxer, Jillian Sykes, Casey Tolan, Isabelle Chapman and Majlie de Puy Kamp contributed to this report.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Victims ID'd from deadly fire at Fall River assisted living facility
Authorities identified some of the residents of a Fall River assisted living facility who died due to a large fire on Sunday night. The residents were: Rui Albernaz, 64 Ronald Codega, 61 Margaret Duddy, 69 Robert King, 78 Kim Mackin, 71 Richard Rochon, 78 Eleanor Willett, 86 A 70-year-old female and a 77-year-old male will be identified after the next of kin are notified, according to the Bristol District Attorney's Office. The origin and cause of the fire remain under investigation by state and local authorities. The cause does not appear to be suspicious at this time, the office said. '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,' District Attorney Tom Quinn said in a statement. A fire broke out at about 9:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Gabriel House Assisted Living Residence, which drew nearly 50 firefighters to the scene and left a vulnerable population calling for help from their windows. The Gabriel House opened in 1999 and has a total of 100 units, according to a state website. Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon described rescue efforts as 'super labor-intensive and man-power intensive' due to the mobility issues for many of the residents. The first firefighters at the scene saw flames coming out of the front doors and multiple residents were hanging out of the window, screaming for help, Bacon said. Bodies of two missing Mass. brothers recovered near R.I. beach Tewksbury man photographed woman under business' bathroom stall door, police say Mass. weather: Storm chances Monday night bring flash flooding risk Northampton gives up on stalled Calvin deal, puts liquor license back into circulation Fall River firefighters' union says 'lives would've been saved' with adequate staffing levels Read the original article on MassLive.
