FALL RIVER, Mass. (BN24) — Nine residents were killed and another critically injured when a massive fire tore through an assisted living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, on Sunday night, a disaster the city’s fire chief described as an “unfathomable tragedy.”
Flames broke out shortly after 9:30 p.m. at Gabriel House on Oliver Street, sending thick smoke pouring through the three-story building as terrified residents crowded windows, pleading for help. When firefighters arrived, they were met by a wall of fire and chaos.
Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said crews rescued at least a dozen people by ladder and rushed roughly 30 residents to hospitals. Five firefighters suffered minor injuries. Some residents were pronounced dead at the scene; others died later at area hospitals.
Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn identified seven of the victims as Eleanor Willet, 86; Rui Albernaz, 64; Ronald Codega, 61; Margaret Duddy, 69; Robert King, 78; Kim Mackin, 71; and Richard Rochon, 78. Authorities have not yet released the names of a 70-year-old woman and a 77-year-old man who were also killed.
Resident Albert Almanza, who relies on an oxygen tank, survived only because a police officer pulled him from the smoke-filled hallway. “I opened my door, and all the smoke came right in my face,” Almanza said. “All I could do was stand there and choke. I thought it was going to be the end.”
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey met with survivors Monday. “They were in their beds or getting their medication, about to go to sleep. Suddenly, there was shouting and lights. A lot of them are immobile. They couldn’t get out,” Healey said.
Officials said nearly 50 firefighters, including 30 recalled from off-duty, battled the blaze. Every police officer in the city responded. “If not for their heroic work, we would have seen even greater loss of life,” Healey said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but Quinn said there was no indication it was suspicious. Investigators from the state fire marshal’s office and Fall River fire officials are combing the scene to reconstruct what happened.
Mayor Paul Coogan confirmed the building had sprinklers and said damage was limited to one wing, though smoke spread through the facility. When asked whether the alarms were working, Bacon said it was too early to say.
Residents described longstanding safety concerns. Survivors said the building’s elevator had been broken for eight months and only recently repaired. According to state records, Gabriel House, a nonprofit that opened in 1999, last passed an inspection in October. About 70 people lived there before the fire.
Bacon acknowledged the emotional toll on first responders and families alike. “Everyone thinks firefighters are heroes who can handle anything, but nobody is programmed to deal with this,” he said. “Mental health support is critical. I encourage everyone involved to seek help.”
Union officials said the tragedy underscores chronic understaffing in the Fall River Fire Department. “Had they been staffed to national standards, there would have been eight more firefighters here,” said Edward Kelly, president of the International Association of Firefighters. “Lives would have been saved.”
Union president Michael O’Regan agreed. “We did the best we could with what we had,” he said. “But what we had was not enough.”
Families seeking information can visit St. Anne’s Hospital Chapel across the street or call 508-674-5741. A temporary shelter has been established at the Timao Center on Bay Street.
Fall River is located in southeastern Massachusetts, about 50 miles south of Boston and 20 miles from Providence, Rhode Island.
