Investigators look at possibility deadly Fall River fire may have been caused by smoking near oxygen tank
Investigators in Fall River, Massachusetts are looking into a number of issues in connection with the deadly fire at the Gabriel House assisted living home, including the possibility that the fire was caused by smoking near an oxygen tank, according to WBZ-TV I-Team sources.
The sources also said investigators are also looking into the possibility that the building's sprinkler system may have been clogged and not working properly.
10 victims in Fall River fire
Ten residents, all between the ages of 61 and 86, died in the fire Sunday night and more than two dozen were hurt. One was in critical condition as of Thursday afternoon. The tenth victim died Wednesday, according to Bristol County District Attorney Tom Quinn. It's the deadliest fire in Massachusetts in 41 years.
Investigators have not said officially how or where the fire started, but they do not believe the cause was suspicious.
Body camera video of Fall River rescues
Fall River Police released more than five minutes of body camera video from officers who helped firefighters with rescues that night. Many of the residents had mobility issues and were not able to escape the home on their own.
"I credit those police officers. I spoke to them the night of the fire and said it was absolutely amazing what I watched them do. That's not their job. That's not their comfort zone. So for them to be able to recognize that, to go in, to take the smoke they did and to save people, that was absolutely amazing," Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said at his daily media briefing Thursday afternoon.
Earlier this week, Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan said only two people were working at the home when the fire started. Seventy residents were there at the time.
The owner of Gabriel House, Dennis Etzkorn, has not responded to several requests for comment this week from both CBS News and WBZ-TV.
Gabriel House inspection reports
The Fall River Fire Department posted their building inspection reports at Gabriel House since 2020 Thursday, in response to a public records request.
"I think that our role in these inspections is to ensure the facility is compliant with the licensed sprinkler professionals, the licensed fire alarm professionals. And to do a walk through of the facility to make sure there are no safety hazards that we can see," Bacon said.
"While we're there, we'll check the sprinkler systems to make sure they're on, that they're pressurized. But other than that, we need to rely on the licensed professionals to do their inspections and we're just following up to make sure those are done."
Earlier this week, the I-Team learned that state inspectors had not been to Gabriel House since October 2023.
Records obtained by WBZ Tuesday showed the facility was last inspected by the city of Fall River on October 15, 2024. That inspection certificate expires on October 15, 2025.
