Fall River, assisted living facilities
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Nine people have died after a Massachusetts assisted living facility caught fire Sunday night. The death toll was revised after an error from the district attorney’s office on Friday. Elderly residents rushed to their windows to scream and beg for help as smoke filled the hallways.
All 273 assisted living facilities in Massachusetts must send letters to all residents and families detailing fire safety protocols, evacuation procedures and key points of contact, the state announced Friday.
As the massive investigation into the cause and origin of the Gabriel House fire ensues, we're learning more about the fire safety inspection reports from the Oliver Street facility.
A Massachusetts assisted-living center where nine residents died in a fire was cited for failing to immediately report more than two dozen health and safety incidents.
The fire that claimed nine lives at an assisted-living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, "was destined to kill 50-plus people," according to the local fire chief.
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Video from police body cameras shows officers entering the building during the fire and assisting with the rescues of residents. (The Fall River Police Department edited this footage.)
There’s no doubt in my mind that that fire was destined to kill 50-plus people,” Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said Wednesday.
More than 75 percent of Gabriel House residents are enrolled in Medicaid, state officials have said, and it charges significantly less than a typical assisted living facility does for private-paying patients.