Two Possibilities, But Cause of Deadly Fall River, MA, Fire 'Undetermined'

The exact cause of the fire at the Gabriel House assisted living facility in Fall River may never be known, but investigators have narrowed the cause down to two possibilities, officials announced Tuesday afternoon.

The fire, which killed 10 people and injured at least 30, began in the second-floor room of a resident and was caused by either an electrical or mechanical failure of an oxygen concentrator in the resident’s room or the improper use or disposal of smoking materials. Since investigators could not pinpoint one specific cause, it will remain undetermined, State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine said Tuesday.

It is clear, though, that the presence of medical oxygen inside the assisted living facility contributed to the severity of the fire, believed to be the deadliest residential fire in Massachusetts in four decades.

“There’s truly no safe way to smoke, but smoking is especially dangerous when home oxygen is in use,” Davine said. “No one should smoke around medical oxygen.”

“We have oxygen throughout that building, so that contributed to the speed of that fire,” he added.

Home oxygen is responsible for about 20 fire deaths in Massachusetts over the past decade, and roughly three dozen injuries, Davine said, though it is suspected in more. Smoking materials are the leading cause of fatal fires in Massachusetts and nationwide.

Inside the room where the fire broke out, which is on the left side of the left wing of the building, investigators found a damaged battery-powered scooter, which is not believed to be the cause. Investigators found no evidence of an intentionally lit fire and no evidence that cooking, lighting, heating, electrical outlets or other appliances contributed.

There was no evidence of candles or incense inside the room, Davine said.

Investigators won’t reveal which room the fire broke out in, but confirmed that the resident who lived there was one of the 10 victims of the fire. Officials declined to answer Tuesday when asked if the deaths were contained to one side of the building.

Jeffrey Bacon, the city’s fire chief, has said previously that victims were found throughout the building, but particularly on its east side.

The fire broke out around 9:40 p.m. on July 13 at the assisted living facility at 261 Oliver St. in Fall River. More than a week after the fire on Tuesday, numerous candles lined the chain link fence erected outside the facility as part of a makeshift memorial to the victims.

It is still not clear if the sprinklers inside the building worked as designed. Davine, Bristol County District Attorney Tom Quinn and Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said that was part of the ongoing investigation into the fire.

Multiple residents have claimed the sprinkler system was working inconsistently during the fire, and police body camera footage seemed to back up those claims. The building’s owners said the system was in working order just days before the fire.

“Nothing will undo what happened at Gabriel House, but we can do everything in our power to understand it and prevent it from ever happening again,” Davine said Tuesday.

Quinn would not answer questions on whether smoking was banned at the facility. Family members told MassLive some residents smoked in their rooms.

Many of the residents at Gabriel House had mobility issues, further complicating firefighting efforts. When some first responding firefighters arrived, residents were screaming out their windows for help.

Sanitary and safety issues plagued the building, including cockroaches and a perceived absence of emergency planning, which were detailed by residents, family members and documents provided by the city.

Neighbors of the assisted living facility told MassLive that they heard residents screaming for help on the third floor of the facility and rushed to the building with ladders. They helped firefighters pull a man out of a room through a window.

A spokesperson for the Gabriel House ownership issued a statement on Monday.

“There are no words to adequately convey the depths of our grief and shock over the devastating events of July 13 at the Gabriel House. Indeed, to call what occurred that night a tragedy is an understatement. Our hearts are broken for the victims and their families; their losses will never be forgotten,” the statement reads.

A lawsuit filed Monday accuses Gabriel Care of negligence. Steven Oldrid, who lived in a studio apartment at the Fall River assisted living facility, said in the lawsuit that he’s had additional expenses for his hospitalization and treatment, and his ability to engage in daily activities has been affected.

A spokesman for Gabriel House, which is owned by Dennis D. Etzkorn, did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the lawsuit.

Earlier in the day on Tuesday, the state announced it intends to provide Fall River a grant worth $1.2 million to help boost staffing levels in its fire department. The money going to the city is coming out of a pool of $5.7 million allocated for 10 communities across the state through its Municipal Public Safety Staffing Program.

“We’re expediting this in light of the tragedy, again, with significant funding going to Fall River as well as going to nine other communities that are eligible by law,” Healey said. “All of us ... are of the deep view that no family, no resident, no community, should ever have to suffer or live with fear that something like this could happen to them or to their loved one.”

Heather Morrison of the MassLive staff contributed to this report.

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