Latest news with #PaulCoogan
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Long List of Problems Emerges at Assisted Living Facility Where 9 Died in Fire, as Mayor Claims Owner Isn't Cooperating
NEED TO KNOW Multiple violations were previously found at an assisted living facility in Massachusetts where nine people were killed in a fire on Sunday, July 13 Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan reportedly said that the facility's owner Dennis Etzkorn is no longer cooperating with his office An employee claimed to a local news outlet that the facility was "very dirty" and infested with bugs and miceViolations were previously found at a Massachusetts assisted living facility where nine people died in a fire. Now, the mayor claims the owner of the facility is no longer cooperating with his office. The Gabriel House in Fall River, Mass., had not been inspected by the state in nearly two years prior to the fatal blaze on Sunday, July 13, according to CBS affiliate WBZ-TV and WPRI-TV, citing records from the Executive Office of Aging and Independence. The assisted living facility was inspected by the city in October 2024 and received a one-year certification, a previous WBZ-TV report noted. Multiple violations were reportedly found during the state's routine visit in October 2023, including those related to staffing and emergency preparedness. Among them were 26 instances where specific emergency situations were not reported to the state within 24 hours, as required by law, according to WPRI. Additionally, some medications were reportedly left loose in storage areas within the facility, while others were partially left open. Gabriel House previously submitted a plan of correction to the state, and later received a certificate to operate until December 2025, per the reports. After the fire on Sunday, at least one employee raised concerns about living conditions at the facility. Debbie Johnson, a certified nursing assistant for Gabriel House, told WBZ-TV that the facility was 'horrible.' "They had mice. They had cockroaches, infested with cockroaches, bed bugs. It was dirty, very dirty,' Johnson claimed. "The elevator has been broken for the last four years, off and on forever and there's people stuck in their rooms, have to have their food brought to them." Previously, Gabriel House owner Dennis Etzkorn pledged to fully cooperate with investigators, saying that he was 'devastated by the tragedy,' according to CNN. But Mayor Paul Coogan said at a vigil on Tuesday, July 15, that Etzkorn is no longer cooperating with his office, according to WPRI. 'He's just starting to get me a tad angry now because we needed his help on a few things and he's not answering his phone,' Coogan said. The mayor later added, 'I want him to know that these are his residents, and he might as well push them on the sidewalk and say, 'have a nice day,' if he's not going to follow up.' PEOPLE has reached out to the mayor and owner for comments. Nine people were killed on Sunday after the fire broke out shortly after 9:30 p.m. local time, according to a statement previously shared by the Fall River Police Department on Facebook. (The statement is no longer available on their page.) Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Several people were pronounced dead at the scene, the fire department previously said. More were injured, and another was left in critical condition. While an investigation into the blaze is ongoing, the Bristol County district attorney has said the cause of the fatal blaze does not appear to be suspicious. 'This is an unfathomable tragedy for the families involved and the Fall River community,' Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said in a news release. Read the original article on People
CBS News
3 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Deadly Gabriel House fire prompts agreement to add staffing at Fall River Fire Department
Officials announced Wednesday that the fire at the Gabriel House assisted living home in Fall River, Massachusetts that killed nine people led to an agreement to make staffing additions to the Fall River Fire Department. Nine people over 60 years old died late Sunday night when the fire broke out. Another 30 people were hurt, and two remain in critical condition as of Wednesday afternoon. The day after the fire, the firefighters' union said the Fall River Fire Department was understaffed. Edward Kelly, the general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said that if the department had been staffed properly, there would have been eight more firefighters on scene. The recommendation by the National Fire Protection Association is four firefighters per fire engine. Fall River operated with three until the agreement was reached. On Wednesday, Kelly, Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan, and Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon held a press conference to announce that negotiations led to an increase of $1.5 million to the fire department budget. Ten firetrucks go out per shift, as currently only two have the minimum staffing standard of four firefighters. As of 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, that will increase to six trucks with four firefighters. Bacon said in the short term, the gap will be filled with overtime because it takes 9 to 12 months to complete the hiring process. But over the next two years, Bacon expects the department will hire 15-20 firefighters. "We wanted to make sure we had the funding necessary. And in conversations with both the governor and our congressmen, there's a light at the end of the tunnel that I believe will help us and if it isn't, we have the funds available to do this. That was the issue back and forth," Coogan said. Kelly said maintaining minimal staffing levels is "critically important to public safety and firefighter safety." "I want to commend Mayor Coogan for stepping up and moving us in the right direction, making sure that we are bringing up those staffing levels significantly in the city," Kelly said. "It doesn't get us to where we want to be, but we're committed to work with the mayor, with the City of Fall River, with the fire chief, with our federal and state partners to make sure this gets done." Bacon said staffing has been a top concern since his first interview for the job when he met Coogan. "That will allow us to effect faster fire suppression efforts, faster rescues, and allow our firefighters to work safer, which in turn makes every citizen of the city safer," Bacon said.
CBS News
20 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Fall River mayor says 2 employees of assisted living facility working on night of deadly fire
The mayor of Fall River said only two people were working at the Gabriel House in Fall River when a fire broke out Sunday night, killing nine residents at the assisted living facility. An employee told CBS News both workers were new to the job. There were 70 residents living in the building at the time. Thirty people were hurt in the fire. Mayor Paul Coogan said the owner of the facility is no longer picking up the phone. "To me, he should be down here every day. Just like we are, just like you guys are," said Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan. Forty-eight hours after a devastating fire tore through the assisted living facility, the mayor says the owner of the Gabriel House is no longer cooperating. "But I want him to know that these are his residents, and he might as well push them on the sidewalk and say have a nice day if he's not going to follow up," Mayor Coogan said. Nine people died, all of the victims over 60 years old. They include Eleanor Willett, Margaret Dudy, Vietnam veteran Richard Rochon and Rui Albernaz. "Everybody still can't process all of this. It's a lot to take in," said Robert Albernaz, whose brother died in the fire. Albernaz stopped by the facility Tuesday after visiting the funeral home to make arrangements for his brother's service. "I just don't understand how his room was the last one," Albernaz said. "His room is right beside of an exit, and he didn't come out. I still can't get over that." By nightfall, candles lined the sidewalk in front of the building. Earlier in the day, people laid flowers and crosses. Including Marie Khoury. Her sister, a longtime resident here, was able to escape Sunday night. "We are all very grateful to God that she is still with us," Khoury said. "She could've been gone." While some gathered to grieve investigators were working on every floor of the building, working to determine how the fire started. WBZ obtained years' worth of city inspections on Gabriel House. They do not detail code violations but show a seven-year gap between inspections that ended last year. At a city council meeting Tuesday night residents voiced concerns over public safety. A representative of the firefighters' union pushed back against the mayor who claimed the union was playing politics by making calls for more staffing in the wake of this tragedy. "Politics is what cut our companies, and politics is what cost people their lives," Fall River Firefighters Union president Michael O'Regan said.
CNN
2 days ago
- CNN
An investigation is underway after a fire engulfed a Massachusetts assisted-living facility, killing 9 people. Here's what we know
Calls to 911 reporting a fire at an assisted-living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, began coming in shortly after 9:30 p.m. Sunday, marking the start of a prolonged emergency response to rescue the roughly 70 people who lived there, many of whom were wheelchair-bound or dependent on oxygen tanks. Despite the efforts of scores of firefighters – nearly half of whom were off duty at the time – and 'every police officer in the city,' nine Gabriel House residents died in the fire, according to officials. Those killed range in age from 61 to 86. Dozens of others were injured, one critically. Residents described being blinded by smoke as they tried to escape the three-story building. Some hung out of windows, begging to be rescued, Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said. Authorities, including the Massachusetts State Police, are investigating what started the fire, but the cause 'does not appear to be suspicious at this time,' the district attorney said in Monday afternoon. The owner of Gabriel House has promised to fully cooperate with investigators. 'It's a tragedy, no matter how it happened or what started it,' Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan told CNN. Here's what we know about the fire as the investigation continues: Many Gabriel House residents – unable to walk or reliant on oxygen tanks – were trapped as smoke filled the hallways. Loraine Ferrara told CNN affiliate WCVB she was rescued through her bathroom window. 'I thought I was dead … I couldn't breathe. I thought I was going to meet my maker.' Al Manza said he got a face full of smoke when he opened his door. 'All that I could do was just stand there and choke,' Manza told WCVB, noting he couldn't even see the hand of the firefighter who led him to safety through the dense smoke. Firefighters broke windows and evacuated residents on ladders. In some cases, air conditioning units had to be pushed out of windows to pull people to safety, according to the firefighers' union president. Many residents were unconscious or trapped and unable to escape on their own. One woman whose father lived at Gabriel House desperately tried to guide him to safety while they were on the phone. 'He was on the floor talking to me, and I am crying, telling him, 'Break the window. Try to break it,' because he is so weak, and he couldn't break it,' she told WCVB. Her father was rescued after she was able to direct firefighters to his location. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy emphasized the unique challenges of rescuing the assisted-living residents after visiting the scene, saying, 'All of these people needed assistance.' 'Many were in wheelchairs. Many were immobile. Many had oxygen tanks. They were severely compromised,' the governor said. Firefighters and police sped to the scene of the fire after the assisted-living facility's automatic alarm system triggered an emergency call. Still, first responders pleaded for additional help rescuing residents, many of whom were unconscious or unable to walk, according to Broadcastify audio from Sunday night. At the response's peak, about 65 firefighters were on the scene – nearly half of whom rushed to help even though they were off duty. 'Every police officer in the city' also rushed to the scene, the fire chief said. 'Everybody was rescuing people.' 'When I got here, what I saw was everyone overwhelmed,' said Michael O'Regan, one of the off-duty firefighters who responded and the president of the Fall River firefighters' union. Rushing to the fire meant going without breathing equipment for some of the off-duty responders, O'Regan said. 'I didn't have time to go get the stuff, and we didn't have any extra stuff, so we did what we had to do.' Frank O'Regan, Michael's brother and fellow firefighter, said he was horrified when he arrived 40 minutes into the response to find residents still trapped on Gabriel House's third floor. 'I couldn't believe that after all this time, there was still a full area with people trapped,' he said, calling it one of the events with the 'worst loss of life' he's seen in his career, he said. Understaffing of the Fall River Fire Department limited the response to Sunday's fire, according to Edward Kelly, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters. National standards call for four firefighters per company, but only two of Fall River's 10 companies meet that, he said, noting eight more firefighters could have been available if the standard was met. Bacon, the fire chief, acknowledged the shortfall and said that particular standard hasn't been met in the city since the 1980s or 90s. Gabriel House, founded in 1999, housed around 70 residents at the time of the fire, according to the Department of Fire Services. Two staff members were working overnight Sunday, Bacon said. The facility was set for recertification and a compliance review in November, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services told CNN. Massachusetts' Executive Office of Aging & Independence, the state agency responsible for certifying assisted-living residences, last conducted an onsite visit at Gabriel House at the end of October 2023. The facility was recertified that December, after addressing some areas of noncompliance, largely stemming from missing or delinquent documentation, according to reports reviewed by CNN. Gabriel House's owner, Dennis Etzkorn, said he and his family are 'devastated by the tragedy' that occurred Sunday night and pledged full cooperation with investigators. 'Our thoughts are with every one of our residents, their families, our staff, and the brave first responders,' Etzkorn said in the statement. 'We will 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.' Etzkorn faced criminal charges more than a decade ago that may have banned him from operating an assisted-living facility if he'd been convicted. He was accused of running a scheme to illegally pay kickbacks in order to receive Medicare patients, but prosecutors dropped the charges after a judge rule key evidence had been obtained improperly, according to records reviewed by CNN. Between 2003 and 2013, Etzkorn was sued in federal court at least three times by former employees who accused him of sexual harassment. Those cases were settled out of court, according to records. Authorities have identified seven of the nine Gabriel House residents who died in Sunday's fire. Three were in their 60s, five were in their 70s, and the oldest was 86 years old. Among them was Richard Rochon, a 78-year-old Vietnam veteran. Rochon's family mourned his death by highlighting the struggles he endured throughout his life – including PTSD, homelessness and affording health care – and called for better treatment of American veterans. 'We as a country should take care of veterans better,' the family said in a statement to CNN. 'They have served for our country; the least we can do is make sure they live a happy healthy retirement.' Around 30 residents were hospitalized after the fire, including one person in critical condition, the district attorney said. Dozens of residents displaced by the fire had found temporary housing as of Monday, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services. CNN's Jason Carroll, Sarah Boxer, Jillian Sykes, Casey Tolan, Isabelle Chapman and Majlie de Puy Kamp contributed to this report.
CNN
2 days ago
- CNN
An investigation is underway after a fire engulfed a Massachusetts assisted-living facility, killing 9 people. Here's what we know
Calls to 911 reporting a fire at an assisted-living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, began coming in shortly after 9:30 p.m. Sunday, marking the start of a prolonged emergency response to rescue the roughly 70 people who lived there, many of whom were wheelchair-bound or dependent on oxygen tanks. Despite the efforts of scores of firefighters – nearly half of whom were off duty at the time – and 'every police officer in the city,' nine Gabriel House residents died in the fire, according to officials. Those killed range in age from 61 to 86. Dozens of others were injured, one critically. Residents described being blinded by smoke as they tried to escape the three-story building. Some hung out of windows, begging to be rescued, Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said. Authorities, including the Massachusetts State Police, are investigating what started the fire, but the cause 'does not appear to be suspicious at this time,' the district attorney said in Monday afternoon. The owner of Gabriel House has promised to fully cooperate with investigators. 'It's a tragedy, no matter how it happened or what started it,' Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan told CNN. Here's what we know about the fire as the investigation continues: Many Gabriel House residents – unable to walk or reliant on oxygen tanks – were trapped as smoke filled the hallways. Loraine Ferrara told CNN affiliate WCVB she was rescued through her bathroom window. 'I thought I was dead … I couldn't breathe. I thought I was going to meet my maker.' Al Manza said he got a face full of smoke when he opened his door. 'All that I could do was just stand there and choke,' Manza told WCVB, noting he couldn't even see the hand of the firefighter who led him to safety through the dense smoke. Firefighters broke windows and evacuated residents on ladders. In some cases, air conditioning units had to be pushed out of windows to pull people to safety, according to the firefighers' union president. Many residents were unconscious or trapped and unable to escape on their own. One woman whose father lived at Gabriel House desperately tried to guide him to safety while they were on the phone. 'He was on the floor talking to me, and I am crying, telling him, 'Break the window. Try to break it,' because he is so weak, and he couldn't break it,' she told WCVB. Her father was rescued after she was able to direct firefighters to his location. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy emphasized the unique challenges of rescuing the assisted-living residents after visiting the scene, saying, 'All of these people needed assistance.' 'Many were in wheelchairs. Many were immobile. Many had oxygen tanks. They were severely compromised,' the governor said. Firefighters and police sped to the scene of the fire after the assisted-living facility's automatic alarm system triggered an emergency call. Still, first responders pleaded for additional help rescuing residents, many of whom were unconscious or unable to walk, according to Broadcastify audio from Sunday night. At the response's peak, about 65 firefighters were on the scene – nearly half of whom rushed to help even though they were off duty. 'Every police officer in the city' also rushed to the scene, the fire chief said. 'Everybody was rescuing people.' 'When I got here, what I saw was everyone overwhelmed,' said Michael O'Regan, one of the off-duty firefighters who responded and the president of the Fall River firefighters' union. Rushing to the fire meant going without breathing equipment for some of the off-duty responders, O'Regan said. 'I didn't have time to go get the stuff, and we didn't have any extra stuff, so we did what we had to do.' Frank O'Regan, Michael's brother and fellow firefighter, said he was horrified when he arrived 40 minutes into the response to find residents still trapped on Gabriel House's third floor. 'I couldn't believe that after all this time, there was still a full area with people trapped,' he said, calling it one of the events with the 'worst loss of life' he's seen in his career, he said. Understaffing of the Fall River Fire Department limited the response to Sunday's fire, according to Edward Kelly, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters. National standards call for four firefighters per company, but only two of Fall River's 10 companies meet that, he said, noting eight more firefighters could have been available if the standard was met. Bacon, the fire chief, acknowledged the shortfall and said that particular standard hasn't been met in the city since the 1980s or 90s. Gabriel House, founded in 1999, housed around 70 residents at the time of the fire, according to the Department of Fire Services. Two staff members were working overnight Sunday, Bacon said. The facility was set for recertification and a compliance review in November, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services told CNN. Massachusetts' Executive Office of Aging & Independence, the state agency responsible for certifying assisted-living residences, last conducted an onsite visit at Gabriel House at the end of October 2023. The facility was recertified that December, after addressing some areas of noncompliance, largely stemming from missing or delinquent documentation, according to reports reviewed by CNN. Gabriel House's owner, Dennis Etzkorn, said he and his family are 'devastated by the tragedy' that occurred Sunday night and pledged full cooperation with investigators. 'Our thoughts are with every one of our residents, their families, our staff, and the brave first responders,' Etzkorn said in the statement. 'We will 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.' Etzkorn faced criminal charges more than a decade ago that may have banned him from operating an assisted-living facility if he'd been convicted. He was accused of running a scheme to illegally pay kickbacks in order to receive Medicare patients, but prosecutors dropped the charges after a judge rule key evidence had been obtained improperly, according to records reviewed by CNN. Between 2003 and 2013, Etzkorn was sued in federal court at least three times by former employees who accused him of sexual harassment. Those cases were settled out of court, according to records. Authorities have identified seven of the nine Gabriel House residents who died in Sunday's fire. Three were in their 60s, five were in their 70s, and the oldest was 86 years old. Among them was Richard Rochon, a 78-year-old Vietnam veteran. Rochon's family mourned his death by highlighting the struggles he endured throughout his life – including PTSD, homelessness and affording health care – and called for better treatment of American veterans. 'We as a country should take care of veterans better,' the family said in a statement to CNN. 'They have served for our country; the least we can do is make sure they live a happy healthy retirement.' Around 30 residents were hospitalized after the fire, including one person in critical condition, the district attorney said. Dozens of residents displaced by the fire had found temporary housing as of Monday, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services. CNN's Jason Carroll, Sarah Boxer, Jillian Sykes, Casey Tolan, Isabelle Chapman and Majlie de Puy Kamp contributed to this report.
