9 killed, 30 hospitalized after Fall River assisted living facility fire

Nine people were killed and at least 30 were hospitalized after a fire passed through a life -assisted life installation on Fall River on Sunday night, said the city’s fire chief.

The fire exploded around 9.30 pm on Sunday, drawing all the firefighters in the city to the place of the assisted life installation of the Gabriel House on Oliver Street. When the Firefighters arrived, various residents asked for help from their windows, said head Jeffrey Bacon.

“This is something that none of us ever want to go,” he said at a press conference outside the installation.

Firefighters took 30 people to hospitals, one of whom was in critical condition on Monday morning, said Bacon. But the number of these injured is greater, he said, as several residents were registered in the hospital.

Bacon did not immediately identify the dead or provided their ages. In addition to the residents, five firefighters were injured in the answer, all of whom are expected to be OK, said Bacon.

Five alarms were struck during the fire response, and attracted approximately 50 firefighters to the scene, 30 of whom were out of service, according to officials.

It was not immediately clear what the fire caused. About 70 people lived in the installation.

Officials urged families looking for residents to call 508-674-5741. A family notification center was created in the chapel of Santa Anna Hospital, which can be accessed through the hospital’s emergency room.

The Mayor of Fall River, Paul Coogan, praised the task of those who respond to emergencies.

“The city was able to mobilize extremely quickly to avoid more deaths, to make people refuge, to get people to have medical care, work as a travel hammer here and I am very proud of it,” he said.