Residents of the Gabriel House in Fall River, Massachusetts described the terrifying moments that smoke filled the assisted living home and they had to find a way to escape. The fire, which broke out late Sunday night, killed nine people.

Firefighters and police officers rushed into the building on Oliver Street to help people out of the building.

According to Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon, more than 30 people were taken to hospitals and five firefighters suffered minor injuries in addition to the nine who lost their lives.

"Nobody left with anything. I was lucky to have this [referring to her wheelchair], but everybody else's medication, money, everything is gone, gone. All of it," Kerry Leckey said.

Man describes escape from Gabriel House fire 

Albert Almanza had just gone to bed when he heard commotion outside. Almanza said he went to the bathroom, looked out the window and saw ambulances and fire trucks.

"I went to my room door, I opened it, all the smoke from the hall went right in my face and all I could do was stand there and choke," Almanza said. "And I thought it was going to be the end of everything. The officer turned around and said to my 'Walk this way.' And I couldn't even see the door. He said 'Grab a hold of my hand.' And I couldn't even see that."

Almanza uses an oxygen tank and has a difficult time walking. He was able to walk alongside the officer down the stairs to safety.

"My whole family's gone and I'm alone," said Almanza, whose two daughters died in recent years. "That made it even worse. I didn't know what I was going to do."

"I thought I was going to die"

Lorraine Ferrara lives on the second floor of the facility. She said two of her good friends died in the fire.

"I will never forget this nightmare. Never," Ferrara said. "They both told me every day that they loved me. And I told them I loved them."

Ferrara has lived at Gabriel House for about eight months. She heard loud noises Sunday night, and quickly realized there was an emergency.

"I went and opened the door and the smoke just hit me. It filled my whole room and the bathroom. I tried to get out. I couldn't make it to the exit door," Ferrara said, adding that when she walked out into the hallway she was hit by hot water from the sprinkler system. "I thought I was going to die. I thought this was it. It's all over for me. That's what I thought."

Ferrara went to her bathroom and called for help from the window.

"The smoke was heavy in there. I opened the window and I yelled 'Help! Help! Help!' The fireman came up the ladder, broke the window and got me out and carried me down the ladder," she said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. 

• Fall River News