Amid Deadly Fire, OSHA Fines Operator of Fall River, MA, Assisted Living Center $187K
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The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined the operator of Gabriel House assisted living more than $180,000 for 13 citations, including 11 deemed “serious.”
Ten people were killed by a five-alarm fire that ripped through the Fall River assisted living facility on the night of July 13, 2025. It was the deadliest fire in Massachusetts in more than 40 years, exposing major gaps in fire safety and emergency preparedness across assisted living and state oversight of the industry.
OSHA, which began its on-site investigation in August, issued the workplace safety citations on Dec. 30, 2025 to Gabriel Care Inc., the business operator of Gabriel House that is owned by Dennis Etzkorn. Etzkorn formally contested all 13 citations and the monetary penalties on Jan. 21.
The citations include:
- Trip and fall hazards throughout the building, including various items on floors blocking access
- Stair height hazards
- Exits that weren’t wide enough, as well as a blocked exit ramp
- Exits that were not clearly marked
- Lack of employee training for “safe and orderly evacuation”
- Fire prevention and evacuation drills were not reviewed with employees
- Exposed electrical wiring
- Exposure to highly flammable fuel
- OSHA logs from 2020, 2022 and 2023 not signed by company executive
The $186,778 in OSHA fines come as a state Appeals Court judge last month denied an effort by Etzkorn to access his property insurance money to rehab the building, the Fall River Herald News recently reported.
Etzkorn was seeking access to $6 million in insurance money that the many plaintiffs suing him have attached to their civil lawsuits. The Herald News reported his attorneys argued the 261 Oliver St. building will fall into ruin without the funds.
- Read more: 4 takeaways: What’s going on with the numerous Gabriel House assisted living fire lawsuits
Etzkorn did not have liability insurance, and it’s not required in Massachusetts that assisted living operators do. He is currently facing 12 personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits filed in Bristol County Superior Court by Gabriel House fire survivors and relatives of the deceased.
All of the suits assert negligence, claiming the sprinkler system was known to be defective and that the assisted living facility was not properly managed, supervised or inspected.
Etzkorn and his attorneys have denied the lawsuit claims. His spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment Friday on the OSHA citations.
Last month, the state’s Assisted Living Residences Commission delivered final recommendations to Gov. Maura Healey and lawmakers for industry reforms intended to “strengthen safety, transparency, consumer protection and affordability.” The commission’s focus shifted to emergency preparedness and fire safety after the Gabriel House fire last July.
The state’s investigation into the fire — headed by the Bristol County Attorney’s Office and Department of Fire Services — remains ongoing.
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