Latest news with #BristolCounty
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Associated Press
Woman, 66, is the 10th person to die after Massachusetts assisted-living facility fire
FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) — A tenth person has died after a fire that tore through an assisted-living facility in Massachusetts last weekend, officials confirmed on Saturday. Brenda Cropper, 66, died at a hospital Friday, according to Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III. She had been in critical condition all week, he said. Due to a miscommunication, her death for a time this week had been announced prematurely, officials have said. The fire, which erupted Sunday evening, left some residents hanging out windows of the three-story facility screaming for help. The cause remains under investigation, but the district attorney's office says it does not appear suspicious. Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon says the blaze started in a room on the second floor. At least 30 people were hurt as thick smoke and flames trapped residents inside. Records and accounts from staff raise concerns about conditions at Gabriel House before the blaze.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
'Miscommunication with a medical agency': DA issues Fall River fire death toll correction
The office of Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III said on the morning of Friday, July 18, that Brenda Cropper, 66, has not succumbed to injuries she received in the Sunday, July 13 blaze. The DA's office initially reported on Thursday, July 17, that she had died the previous day from injuries suffered in the Gabriel House fire in Fall River. They issued a correction on Friday morning, saying the report of the death "was due to a miscommunication with a medical agency." "Please be advised that due to a miscommunication with a medical agency, the Bristol County District Attorney's Office reported the passing of Brenda Cropper as a result of the Gabriel Assisted Living Center Fire," reads the full statement from the DA's office that was distributed at 11:16 a.m. Friday. "Ms. Cropper remains in critical condition at this time. The BCDAO has been in contact with Ms. Cropper's family regarding this matter. We will provide updates when they become available." The investigation into the fire's origin and cause continues, by the Massachusetts State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Section assigned to the State Fire Marshall's Office, the Fall River Fire and Police Departments, in conjunction with State Troopers assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office. The Gabriel House residents who have died include: Rui Albernaz, 64; Ronald Codega, 61; Margaret Duddy, 69; Robert King, 78; Kim Mackin, 71; Richard Rochon, 78; Eleanor Willett, 86; and Joseph Wilansky, 77. The DA's office has not yet publicly identified a 70-year-old woman who died in the fire. This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Bristol DA issues correction on status of Fall River fire victim
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
How long will the fire investigation at Gabriel House take? Investigations explained
Soon after a massive fire swept through a Fall River assisted living facility on July 13, the Bristol County District Attorney's office announced an investigation was underway. The fire does not appear suspicious, but investigators haven't yet narrowed down the potential factors to a single cause, according to Department of Fire Services spokesperson Jake Wark. "This specific investigation is very ongoing," said Fall River Deputy Fire Chief Neil Furtado, who also serves as a city fire investigator. The Department of Fire Services, Fall River police and firefighters, and state troopers assigned to the district attorney's office are all involved. Here's how fire investigations in Massachusetts typically work and how long this investigation might take. How does a fire investigation typically work? How long do they take? Investigators prioritize the goal to identify the origin and cause of a fire, Wark said in an email. "I've investigated hundreds and hundreds of fires, and [the investigations] pretty much all start the same way," Furtado said. Typically, local fire investigators like Furtado will start from the area with the least amount of damage and work their way up to the area with the most damage, he said. He said a highly damaged area would be closer to the point of origin. "I see the depth of char on wood, for example. So, you may only have surface burning in one area, but as you get closer to where the fire started, you're going to have deeper char and more destruction, and less mass of the wood," Furtado said. He explained that a large portion of the investigation is reading burn patterns and knowing melting points. "It's very scientific," Furtado said. He explained that witness statements are also a key element. Once a point or area of origin is narrowed down, investigators typically seek out the last person who was in the room for questioning, Furtado said. "The consistency, at the end of the day, is what makes you a good and thorough fire investigator. You have to look at everything and rule things out," he said. Additional agencies, including state authorities and insurance companies, might also conduct investigations depending on the circumstances. Wark explained that it is difficult to determine the length of an investigation at the beginning. "As far as a timeline goes, we often say that an investigation takes as long as it takes," Wark said. Why is the district attorney's office involved? The Bristol County District Attorney's office is involved in the Fall River investigation because it has jurisdiction over death investigations, Wark said. "The DA's presence should not suggest anything criminal in nature," Wark said. They are supported by the Department of Fire Services' Code Compliance & Enforcement Unit, which assists with fire code issues and other life safety regulations. The unit's role in the investigation is to assess Gabriel House's compliance with rules and regulations on sprinklers, alarms, exits, and other details, according to Wark. What investigators at the Fall River residence have so far The damage was severe in parts of the Gabriel House assisted living residence, making for a more difficult investigation, Wark said. Investigators have examined the scene at 261 Oliver St., watched security footage from the area, and conducted multiple witness interviews, he said. Given the scale of the fire, local investigators as well as those from the state are working "carefully, methodically, and diligently," Wark said. He said he does not expect any significant developments in the investigation this week. "This is no different than when the NTSB does an investigation on a plane crash and they say, 'We probably won't have a completed report for a year.' That can happen. That's how many things are involved," Furtado said. This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Fall River fire: How long will the investigation take? What to know Solve the daily Crossword
Al Arabiya
5 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Tenth person dies from Massachusetts assisted-living fire
Fall River, Mass. – A 10th victim has died from the fire that ripped through a Massachusetts assisted-living facility earlier this week, officials said Thursday. Brenda Cropper, 66, died late Wednesday after being hospitalized in critical condition since Sunday's fire at the Gabriel House, Bristol District Attorney Thomas Quinn III announced. The district attorney's office did not release any more information about Cropper or about the fire that erupted in Fall River, a blue-collar city in southern Massachusetts. According to Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon, the blaze started in a room on the second floor on the east side of the Gabriel House building, but details about the exact origin and cause are under investigation. However, the Bristol County district attorney's office has maintained that the cause does not appear to be suspicious. The fire trapped residents inside, including some who were hanging out windows screaming for help. At least 30 people were hurt and nine people initially reported dead, all over the age of 60. Those who died have been identified as Joseph Wilansky, 77; Rui Albernaz, 64; Ronald Codega, 61; Margaret Duddy, 69; Robert King, 78; Kim Mackin, 71; Richard Rochon, 78; and Eleanor Willett, 86. The identification of a 70-year-old woman has not been released. About 50 firefighters responded to the scene, including 30 who were off-duty. Police helped break down doors and carried about a dozen residents to safety. Five injured firefighters were released from the hospital Monday. Union officials say the city didn't staff enough firefighters to rescue all the residents trapped in the blaze – a contention that city officials have since sought to resolve by promising to add more firefighters to each shift, initially via overtime and eventually by hiring new staff. Meanwhile, the facility's owner had a previous citation for failing to report numerous health and safety incidents. The tragedy has also called attention to the minimal regulations that govern assisted-living facilities.
New York Times
6 days ago
- New York Times
Speculation Swirls After Deadly Fire at Massachusetts Assisted Living Facility
Across Fall River, Mass., questions lingered on Tuesday about the devastating fire that killed nine residents of an assisted living facility and injured many more over the weekend, in what has become the state's deadliest blaze in four decades. Officials released the names of most of the victims, who ranged in age from 61 to 86. At area hospitals, more patients were released. The Bristol County District Attorney's Office said in a statement late Monday that the fire investigation was ongoing, 'but the cause does not appear to be suspicious at this time.' Some survivors of the fire, and some others familiar with the property, Gabriel House, said that some residents had smoked in their rooms, although smoking indoors was not permitted. And one former employee who worked there for more than a year said she never saw the staff perform fire drills or practice emergency evacuations, despite a population that included many older patients with mobility limitations who used walkers, wheelchairs or scooters to get around. 'No fire drills, no practice, no tests,' said Jenn Marley, a certified nursing assistant who said she worked at Gabriel House in 2018 and 2019, and left the job of her own accord. 'All they said when I was hired was, There's an evacuation plan posted on the wall.' 'Those poor souls who passed away,' she added. The owner of the assisted living facility, Dennis Etzkorn, did not respond to requests for comment. In a statement provided to The Boston Globe, he pledged to 'continue to cooperate with the authorities and provide them with any information they may need throughout the investigative process regarding the cause and origin of this fire.' The fire at Gabriel House — home to 70 people, many of them disabled or suffering health problems — broke out around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday. As thick smoke filled the building, some residents smashed windows in their rooms and cried out for help. Police and firefighters carried some residents from the building, as nurses from a hospital across the street ran to ferry them to safety in wheelchairs. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
