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FALL RIVER, MA – A blaze at an assisted living facility in Massachusetts killed at least nine people and injured over 30 others after it trapped residents inside, forcing first responders to kick down doors and pull screaming people out through windows.

Firefighters responded Sunday around 9:50 p.m. to Gabriel House Assisted Living Facility in Fall River, about 50 miles south of Boston. Upon arrival, they saw the front of the building engulfed in flames and smoke, and began rescuing people while trying to quell the blaze.

Multiple people were declared dead at the scene while over 30 were rushed to area hospitals, including at least five firefighters with minor injuries. As of Monday morning, nine people were dead and one person was in critical condition, said Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon. Approximately 70 people were living in the building when the fire broke out.

Bacon described the chaotic scene that saw residents begging for help and “hanging out of windows looking to be rescued.” He said firefighters and police pulled dozens of people to safety, squeezing them through small windows or breaking down doors and carrying residents – some of whom were in wheelchairs – out of the building.

The cause of the incident remains unclear and is under investigation. Officials said the building owner has been cooperative and the facility will soon be boarded up.

“The fire at Gabriel House in Fall River is a tragedy,” said Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey in a statement. “My heart goes out to those who are waking up to the most horrific news imaginable about their loved ones this morning.”

What we know about possible cause of deadly Fall River fire

While inspectors worked to pinpoint what led to the fire, officials have begun describing potential hazards in the building when the blaze broke out.

At a news conference, Bacon noted the presence of “several” oxygen tanks, which are commonly used by elderly residents and can be fire hazards. However, the chief said they were “irrelevant to the fire at this time” and cited an ongoing investigation headed by the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services.

What is Gabriel House in Fall River?

The Gabriel House assisted living facility opened in 1999 and is made up of 100 units, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Aging & Independence.

Gabriel House’s website says is meant for people 55 and older, and that it provides a range of care for residents with diseases such as diabetes or those who struggle to control their bodily functions.

It remains unknown if Gabriel House had and followed an evacuation plan. The building’s owner Dennis Etzkorn has not responded to multiple requests for comment from the Herald News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan said Gabriel House – like all the city’s nursing facilities – are on the city’s radar for health and safety inspections, but he did not describe what recent inspections showed.

“We know this building,” Coogan said. “We know it well. We work with the staff here and the management to try to make sure if they need help, we’re here for them.”

Firefighters carried residents out of burning building

More than half the facility’s 70 residents had to be evacuated either through windows or out various doors, Bacon said. Many were physically carried out because of mobility issues.

Bacon said the number of window air conditioning units made rescues difficult and forced first responders to use smaller windows to pull people out.“The windows that would have affected the best rescues had the ACs in them, so rescues had to be done through smaller windows,” Bacon said.

The chief added that the fire damage was limited to one wing of the building, but that smoke had engulfed the facility’s interior, likely leading to deaths and dozens of injuries.

“The fire attack was very quick, it was just a very smokey fire,” said Bacon.

Evacuees left behind medicine amid frantic escape

The building’s many evacuees were taken to the city’s homeless overflow shelter, where city staff and others were assisting them with getting medicine, clothes and other belongings they had to leave behind in the frantic evacuation.

Coogan, the mayor of Fall City, said all the assisted living facility’s medical records were in file folders that survived the blaze.“We just carried out a bunch of medical records,” Bacon told reporters. “The room they were stored in was salvaged, so we were able to get all those records down so they can get medications for all the displaced people.”

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated with additional information.

A fire tore through an assisted living facility in Fall River, killing nine people and trapping residents inside, authorities said Monday.

Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said firefighters arrived at Gabriel House in response to an automatic fire alarm that was triggered shortly after 9:30 p.m. Sunday. The first crews on the scene saw flames coming out the front door and people hanging out of windows, screaming for help.

“We knocked down the fire quickly,” he said. “Then all available assets were moved toward rescuing the individuals that needed help. And that’s not just fire — it was police. Typically, police don’t perform that function. But they did a tremendous job last night, and they saved countless lives.”

He said EMS also provided essential help by treating patients at the scene, preventing hospitals from being overburdened. At least 30 people were injured in the fire.

Gov. Maura Healey also commended the partnership of agencies in the response. She said the loss of life was tragic and her condolences go out to their loved ones. She also expressed gratitude that so many residents survived.

“These are people who were not able to move themselves. They were not mobile themselves. And therefore the work that fire, police and EMS did to get people out is truly amazing,” she said.

Joe Alves, who lives several houses down from the facility, said he was watching TV when he heard the wave of sirens and fire crews responding to the fire.

He said he saw officials pulling bodies and injured pets out of the building, with some pouring water bottles on burns as they desperately tried to help those in need.

“There were people in wheelchairs, a lot of people missing limbs, it was terrible,” he said, choking up slightly.

Jarren Oldrid described the scene as “pretty terrifying” as he tried to figure out if his 67-year-old father, Steven Oldrid, was safe. He found him recovering from smoke inhalation at a hospital.

“It’s kind of just a whirlwind of trying to figure out what’s happening, how this could happen in such a major way,” he said.

Five firefighters suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, a statement said. Healey announced Monday morning that all five had been treated and released.

Dennis Etzkorn, owner of Gabriel House, right, visits the site in the aftermath of a fire alongside Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon, left, Monday, July 14 in Fall River, Mass. Michael Casey AP

At a Monday morning news conference, Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan said the building’s owner, Dennis Etzkorn, is cooperating and the building will soon be boarded up. Etzkorn declined to comment Monday.

“We’ll do whatever we have to do to help these people,” Coogan said of the residents who will now be looking for a new home.

Father Rob Nemkovich, Fall River police chaplain, spent the morning helping displaced residents who had been relocated to the Timao Center for temporary shelter.

“We got them breakfast. We got them clothing. We’re working on getting records to get medications for the people that need it,” he told GBH News.

He said the residents are “doing as best they can,” and that other groups will aid them in finding longer-term places to stay.

The origin and cause of the fire are under investigation, state and local authorities said.

Gabriel House opened in 1999 and has 100 units, according to Massachusetts Executive Office of Aging & Independence. An email was sent to an office spokesperson Monday morning seeking comment on the home’s inspection records.

Email and phone messages also were left at Gabriel House. A worker at the scene declined to comment to an Associated Press reporter.

Associated Press writers Michael Casey, Kimberlee Kruesi and Kathy McCormack contributed to this report.

Nine people have died after a fire broke out at a nursing home in Massachusetts.

Residents were trapped inside the assisted living facility as flames tore through the building in the city of Fall River on Sunday, authorities said.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and were met with heavy smoke and flames at the front of the facility, with some residents hanging out of windows screaming for help.

“Nine people lost their lives in this building last night. This is an unfathomable tragedy for the families involved and the Fall River community,” Jeffrey Bacon, Fall River’s fire chief, said.

One person remains in critical condition, and over 30 were taken to area hospitals and at least a dozen were saved in a rescue requiring ladders, Mr Bacon added.

FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) — Flames roared through an assisted-living facility in Massachusetts, killing nine people and trapping residents inside, including some who leaned out of windows and screamed for help, authorities said Monday. At least 30 people were hurt.

Firefighters responded to the Gabriel House facility in Fall River, about 50 miles south of Boston, at about 9:50 p.m. Sunday and were met with heavy smoke and flames at the front of the building. The cause was under investigation, authorities said.

Lorraine Ferrara, one of about 70 residents at the facility, awoke to a neighbor pounding on her door. She tried to make her way through the smoke in the hallway but turned back.

The sprinkler system was shooting hot water on her back, so she retreated into her room. “It was filled with smoke,” she said. “I opened the window as far as I could, yelling ‘Help! Help! Second floor!’”

A firefighter broke the window and carried her down the ladder, she said.

CORRECTS TO FALL RIVER NOT FALLS The Gabriel House assisted living facility is shown after a fire in Fall River, Mass., Monday, July 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Casey) Photo:

“I really thought I was going to die,” she said. “I thought there was no way out.”

Others who were rescued were taken to hospitals. Jarren Oldrid described the scene as “pretty terrifying” as he tried to figure out if his 67-year-old father, Steven Oldrid, was safe. He found him recovering from smoke inhalation at a hospital.

“It’s kind of just a whirlwind of trying to figure out what’s happening, how this could happen in such a major way,” he said.

First responders included 30 off-duty firefighters

Gabriel House opened in 1999 and has 100 units, according to Massachusetts Executive Office of Aging & Independence. Its website promotes studio apartments “for those seniors who cannot afford the high end of assisted living” as well as group adult foster care within walking distance of shopping, restaurants and churches.

Dennis Etzkorn, the facility’s owner, declined to comment Monday, but officials said he was cooperating with what Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon called “a very extensive investigation.”

About 50 firefighters responded to the scene, including 30 who were off-duty. Police also helped break down doors and carried about a dozen residents to safety. Five injured firefighters were released from the hospital Monday.

“This is an unfathomable tragedy for the families involved and the Fall River community,” Bacon said.

Rev. Michael Racine, the city’s fire chaplain, spent the night blessing the bodies of the dead and trying to console survivors, families, staff members and firefighters.

“Nobody in that department has seen what we saw last night. Nobody,” Racine said. “We’ve seen fatalities, which we don’t want to see, but nobody’s seen anything like last night.”

Joe Alves, who lives several houses down from the facility, said he saw officials pulling bodies, people in wheelchairs and injured pets out of the building, with some pouring water bottles on burns.

“It was terrible,” he said, choking up slightly.

Several residents praised police and firefighters for heroic rescue efforts but said staff members did little to help.

“They didn’t knock on one door,” Robert Cavrel said. “They just ran.”

Every assisted-living facility has to meet state building and fire codes, according to the Massachusetts Department of Elder Affairs. Facilities must have adequate staff to respond to emergencies and evacuation plans, according to a department list of state certification procedures and standards.

An affiliated adult foster care home under the same ownership as Gabriel House and located a short distance away was indicted on medical assistance fraud and kickback charges in 2012, according to Bristol County Superior Court records.

The office of then-state Attorney General Martha Coakley announced indictments against Etzkorn, owner of Gabriel Care LLC, and a director of the facility in 2012. The charges were dismissed in 2015, according to court records. Coakley declined to comment Monday, referring questions to the current attorney general’s office.

Asked at a news conference if there were previous safety complaints about the facility, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said she was not aware of any. She offered state assistance to the city’s mayor, condolences to the families of those who died and gratitude to first responders.

“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.”

City is one of the poorest in Massachusetts

With about 94,000 residents, Fall River is the state’s 10th-largest city and one of its poorest.

The blue-collar community in southern Massachusetts was once a global center for textile manufacturing, but it suffered population loss and economic hardship as the industry declined. Recent decades have seen some new development and investment, but the city has also been rocked by scandal. Former Mayor Jasiel Correia was convicted in a corruption trial and sentenced to six years in prison in 2021.

Gabriel House is located is a dense neighborhood of mostly three-story apartment buildings just south of Kennedy Park, the city’s largest park. Survivors of the fire were ushered to a temporary housing center about half a mile from their former home, many of them in shock after losing most of their belongings.

Some broke down in tears, others threw out names — desperate to know who was still alive. Staffers handed out sandwiches, beverages and even canes for those who did not have time to grab their medical equipment in the smoke and flames.

Neal Beck, who had lived at Gabriel House for six years, said he was rescued by ladder from his bathroom window.

“I’ve been homeless before,” Beck said. “I guess I’ll be homeless again.”

Head cook Paul Ferreira was off the clock Sunday night but rushed to the scene and watched as bodies were removed the building. He grew emotional describing the community of people who have long struggled to find affordable housing.

“Not knowing it was the last time I was cooking for them, it’s sad. They become part of your family,” Ferreira said. “Some of these people have no family members. Where are they going to go now?”

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Associated Press writers Kathy McCormack and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire; Matt O’Brien in Providence, Rhode Island; and Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine, contributed to this report.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Nine people are dead and at least 30 injured after a fire broke out at an assisted living facility in Fall River on Sunday night, according to city officials.

“This is an unfathomable tragedy for the families involved and the Fall River community,” Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said in a statement early Monday morning. “On behalf of the Fall River Fire Department, I want to express our heartfelt condolences to the loved ones who are grieving this morning.”

Firefighters responded to a fire at Gabriel House Assisted Living Facility at about 9:50 p.m. and found heavy smoke, flames and residents trapped inside the Oliver Street building, according to a press release by the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services.

About 50 firefighters responded to the call, including about 30 who were off-duty at the time, the state department said.

Multiple residents of the facility were declared dead at the scene, with dozens of others taken to area hospitals in varying conditions. One person is in critical condition, Bacon said in a press conference Monday morning. Five firefighters were also taken to hospitals for non-life threatening injuries.

Those injured were transported to St. Anne’s Hospital and Charlton Hospital in Fall River, along with St. Lukes’ Hospital in New Bedford. At least two people with more serious injuries were taken to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.

Jarren Oldrid described the scene as “pretty terrifying” as he tried to figure out if his 67-year-old father, Steven Oldrid, was safe. He found him recovering from smoke inhalation at a hospital.

“It’s kind of just a whirlwind of trying to figure out what’s happening, how this could happen in such a major way,” he said. The cause of the fire is under investigation by local and state authorities.

At the scene Monday morning, Bacon told WBUR he had never before seen an incident like this.

“I was with the state fire marshal last night and a bunch of people from the state police and trying to think of when the last time there were nine fatalities at a single incident in the state of Massachusetts and nobody could come up with one,” Bacon told WBUR. “This is generational.”

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A difficult rescue

Lorraine Ferrara, one of about 70 residents at the facility, awoke to a neighbor pounding on her door. She tried to make her way through the smoke in the hallway but turned back.

The sprinkler system was shooting hot water on her back, so she retreated into her room.

“It was filled with smoke,” she said. “I opened the window as far as I could, yelling ‘Help! Help! Second floor!’”

A firefighter broke the window and carried her down the ladder, she said.

“I really thought I was going to die,” she said. “I thought there was no way out.”

Firefighters respond in Fall River. (Courtesy of the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services)

Bacon estimated that about half of the buildings residents needed to be rescued, either out from windows or through hallways. Around 70 people lived at the Gabriel House before the fire, according to the state.

Complicating the rescue was a number of air conditioner units in windows, which made some of the larger windows in a residence unusable for rescues. He said that meant some tenants needed to be accessed through small bathroom windows.

“It takes six or seven firefighters to get an average person out of a building safely,” said Bacon. “That puts into perspective how difficult it is and how time consuming it is and how physically exhausting it is to make those rescues.”

Gabriel House resident Donna Murphy considers herself lucky. She said she was not there during the fire, having decided to sleep at her granddaughter’s house on Sunday.

” I’ve lived there for five years. Last night was the only night I ever slept out. So I was blessed where I don’t have to relive that tragedy in my mind over and over and over,” said Murphy.

Maintenance worker Nelson Gonzales described the residents as “beautiful, beautiful people.” He last worked on Friday and described a conversation he had leaving the facility.

“We were all outside having a good time, and I don’t remember who said it, but I said, ‘Alright guys, I see you Monday.’ And they said, ‘Nope.’ I said, ‘what do you mean, No?’ He says, ’cause tomorrow’s not guaranteed to no one.’ And look what happened,” Gonzales recalled. “It didn’t hit me until now.”

Next steps

A law enforcement official removes boxes containing patient medications from the Gabriel House assisted living facility following a fire. (Steven Senne/AP)

During the press conference, Bacon encouraged the members of emergency services and the families of those impacted by the fire to seek mental health care in the wake of the incident. He said he will personally be reaching out to the responding firefighters.

“My next step is to go to the stations and to make sure that we’re checking in with those firefighters to make sure they have the support they need,” said Bacon. “Everyone thinks firefighters are heroes and they’re just designed to be able to deal with anything, but that’s not the case.”

Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan praised the response from firefighters, police and EMTs.

“These guys did a spectacular job in the face of a very bad tragedy,” Coogan said at the press conference Monday.

Residents displaced from the fire were taken to the Timao Center, an emergency shelter facility in Fall River. The mayor said the city is working to get clothes, underwear and medicine for the tenants.

Dennis Etzkorn, the facility’s owner, declined to comment to the Associated Press Monday. But Coogan said that the owner of Gabriel House was being “very cooperative” with authorities.

“He knows he’s responsible to take care of his residents, which is our main concern,” the mayor said.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, center, and Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan, left, speak with a member of law enforcement, right, near the Gabriel House assisted living facility, Monday, July 14, 2025. (Steven Senne/AP)

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey visited the site of the fire on Monday morning. At a press conference, she commended the efforts of emergency services.

“It’s unbelievable that there wasn’t an even greater loss of life,” Healey said. “And I just think it speaks to the training and the preparedness of the first responders.”

The governor said the state will do whatever possible to support Fall River.

“Right now, the first order of business is to make sure we’re assisting the city in any way possible in rehousing what is a vulnerable population,” Healey said.

With reporting from WBUR’s John Bender and The Associated Press.

This is a developing story and will continue to be updated.