A fire broke out at a Massachusetts assisted living facility on the evening of the 13th. Some residents were trapped and shouted for help at the window. Nine people were known to have died and at least 30 were injured. The trapped people said that the staff of the assisted living facility escaped on their own and did not provide any escape assistance.
The Associated Press reported that a fire broke out at the “Gabriel House” in Fall River, Massachusetts at around 9:50 p.m. on the 13th. About 50 firefighters were called to the scene and found that the building, located about 50 miles south of Boston, was emitting thick smoke, the fire was fierce, and people were trapped.
The authorities said on the 14th that some of the trapped people leaned out of the window and shouted for help. Residents of the Gabriel House who praised the police and firefighters for their heroic rescue said that the staff of the institution provided almost no assistance.
There are about 70 residents in the Gabriel House. Resident Robert Cabral said: “They didn’t even knock on the door and escaped on their own.”
Resident Lorraine. Lorraine Ferrara said she was awakened by a neighbor knocking on the door and tried to walk through the smoke-filled hallway, but the hot water from the sprinkler system splashed on her back and she had to retreat back to her room.
Ferrara said she opened the window and shouted as smoke billowed in the room, and a firefighter broke the window to rescue her and brought her to safety with a ladder. She said: “I really thought I was going to die. I thought there was no way out.”
The Massachusetts Executive Office of Aging and Independence said that Gable House opened in 1999 and has 100 suites.
The Gable House’s website claims that it provides single apartments “for seniors who cannot afford high-end assisted living services,” provides group adult foster care services, and is within walking distance of shopping centers, restaurants and churches.
The Gable House website states, “If an emergency occurs, there is always someone to help.”
Ferrara was filled with fear and anger when she saw two assisted living facility employees running from the building to the outside. “They left us and ran to the parking lot, and I leaned my head out the window and yelled ‘help’ and saw them running.”
Authorities said the nine dead were aged between 61 and 86, seven of whom have been identified and the families of the other two have been notified.
The firefighters’ union said the lack of firefighters affected firefighting and rescue operations; the city’s mayor refuted the above statement, and the fire chief said no matter how many emergency responders there were, they would not be enough.
The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office issued a statement saying the cause of the fire is under investigation and “does not appear to be suspicious at this time.”
