Nine people were killed and one was critical of a fire at home assisted in Fall River, Massachusetts, according to authorities. The Fall Fire Chief, Jeffrey Bacon, called the Gabriel House “an unfathomable tragedy”.
The flames exploded just after 9.30 pm on Sunday at the installation of Oliver Street. When the Firefighters arrived, they found heavy flames and smoke passing through the main entrance and several people hanging from the windows, waiting to be rescued, according to Bacon.
About 30 residents were taken to hospitals and five firefighters suffered slight injuries, said Bacon in a Emotional press conference. In addition to the nine residents who died, another was in critical condition on Monday morning. Some of the residents were declared dead on the scene, while others died in the hospital.
“They had someone who was wearing their hands and feet. They were shouting,” We need a medicine! “, A witness said.
One of the dead was Eleanor Willet, 86, said his grandson on Wbz-TV.
Family photo 
Willet’s son still tries to wrap his head around what happened.
“Already, I’m fine right now. But I don’t know what it will be later, as maybe when everything sinks, I really don’t know,” David Dixon told Wbz-TV.
Bristol District District Prosecutor, Thomas Quinn identified the other victims As Rui Albernaz, 64, Ronald Codega, 61, Margaret Duddy, 69, Robert King, 78, Kim Mackin, 71, 78, Richard Rochon, 78. The names of a 70 -year -old woman and a 77 -year -old man who died on the fire have not yet been released.
Resident Albert Almanza, who uses an oxygen deposit, survived the fireThanks to a police officer who got him safely.
“I went to the door of my room, I opened it, all the smoke in the room went just to the face and all I could do was be there and drown -” he said. “And I thought it would be the end of everything.”
Massachusetts governor Maura Healey met with some of the survivors on Monday afternoon and heard his stories.
“They were in their bed or just had their medication and they are about to go to bed. They feel noise and lights and shouting,” said Healey. “Many of them are motionless, you know. They are on wheelchairs or have walkers. They cannot be easily moved and disoriented.”
Fall River Fire, Police, EMS saved “Multiple Lives”
“We had at least a dozen people rescued by the stairs. The Police Department, the Fire Corps and the EMS were able to promulgate dozens of rescues to save multiple lives,” said Bacon.
“It wasn’t for the heroic work, the brave labor, of these men and women who showed themselves last night, particularly our fire, police and EMS, we would have seen a much bigger loss of life,” said Healey in late morning press conference In the scene.
There is still no word about how or where the fire began, but the district prosecutor said that the cause does not seem suspicious at the moment. About 50 firefighters were called, including about 30 who were out of service, said State Fire Marshal Jon Davine. Bacon said that “all city police officers were also here.”
“Fire researchers from the Fall Fire Fire Corps and the State Marshal Office will be in the building along with compliance with the code and try to reunite the scene and find out what exactly happened,” said the fire chief.
The Mayor of Fall River, Paul Coogan, said that there were sprinklers in the building. Bacon told journalists that the damage of the fire was on a wing, but there was smoke damage to the three -story house. Alarms could be heard in the background during a press conference on Monday morning, but Bacon did not know if they worked at the time of the fire.
“Smoke kills more people than fire, every day in America. I think the lesson that can be learned here is to listen to your smoke detectors and react because smoke is a very deadly force,” he said.
Bacon said there were several oxygen tanks at the installation, but at that time they were “irrelevant” for fire.
Cbs boston 
“An unfathomable tragedy for families”
“This is an unfathomable tragedy for the families involved and the Fall River community,” Bacon said in a statement before the press conference on Monday. “In the name of the Fall Fire Fire Brigade, I want to express our condolences to loved ones who are bad this morning.”
Brenda Andrade’s family He said he was in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. They told Wbz-TV that he had received burns at 50 percent of his body and eagerly waiting for the opportunity to see her.
Families who were loved at home can find more information in the chapel of Sant Anna Hospital, which is on the other side of Assisted Life Center Street. They can also call 508-674-5741. Firefighters said all the medicines of the installation were withdrawing. A temporary shelter has been created for residents at the Timao Center on Bay Street.
Gabriel House
Casa Gabriel is a profit that opened in 1999 and has 100 units of a single bed Website and Mass.gov. The State Fire Marshal said that about 70 people lived at home before the fire.
Gabriel House’s latest state inspection was on October 15, 2024. This inspection certificate is expected to expire this October 15.
Michael Casey / AP 
Some of the survivors said they liked to live at home, but many said that the elevator had not worked for eight months and recently fixed.
“I was told they had their inspection for July 8, so if something happened, it must have been after July 8,” Mayor Coogan told journalists on Monday afternoon.
“No one is scheduled to do it with that”
Bacon said he will visit all the city’s fire stations to ensure that they have the support they need.
“Everyone thinks firefighters are heroes and are only designed to deal with anything, but this is not the case. The mental health aspect of this, not only for firefighters, police officers, EMTS and families here. I am a strong defender of the mental health support and I would say that for anyone who was on this scene last night, not just the help of the police, not only with the help of the firefighters, not only with the help, Need on the swallow order you need to you with the tragic you need in the order you need in the trag order you need to what you need in the order you need for the people you need to look like. ” Situation like this.
“I just want to say to the families and friends of those who died, I offer my condolences, the deepest condolences and the sympathy on behalf of Commonwealth for this tragic loss. We lost nine people last night in this terrible tragedy and our hearts and sympathy are with their families,” said Healey. “I promise to the mayor and the people of Fall River that my administration will do his best to offer support and assistance at this time.”
Union says staff was insufficient
At a press conference on Monday afternoon, union officials said that the River Fire Brigade is underlined.
“If they had the right national standards, there would have been eight more firefighters that would affect the rescues here last night,” said Edward Kelly, general chairman of the International Fire Association. “Lives would have been saved if the Fall Fire Fire Brigade was properly counted.”
The Mayor of Fall River responded on Monday evening, saying that the workforce is at the level that the Fire Chief requested.
WBZ-TV has contacted the Fire Chief to comment on fire staff levels.
“We did the best we could with what we had,” said the President of the Fall River Fire Union, Michael O’regan. “And what we had wasn’t enough.”
Where is Fall River, Massachusetts?
Fall River is south -East of Massachusetts, about 50 kilometers south of Boston and 20 miles south -East Providence, Rhode Island.