The deadly blaze that broke out at an assisted living facility in Massachusetts earlier this month was sparked accidentally by either a malfunctioning oxygen machine or – possibly – a resident smoking, the state’s fire marshal said on Tuesday, July 22.
Massachusetts State Fire Marshal Jon Davine said a preliminary investigation traced the origin of the devastating July 13 fire to a room on the second floor of the Gabriel House assisted living facility in Fall River, a community about 50 miles south of Boston.
The fire was sparked in the evening and trapped residents – many of whom were immobile – as they screamed for help. Firefighters and police climbed through windows and kicked down doors in the frantic rescue operation. Ten residents between 61 and 86 years old were killed in the blaze, and more than 30 were injured, including several first responders, officials said.
Davine said the resident who lived in the room where the fire began was among the dead, making it difficult to determine what exactly led up to the moment of ignition. Still, investigators narrowed down the possible origin to an oxygen machine or “smoking materials” discovered in the room.
The fire chief said no matter the cause of the fire, medical oxygen located inside the room where the fire started and throughout the building fueled the blaze’s intense growth.
“In an oxygen rich environment, the fire will ignite more readily and spread more rapidly and burn at higher temperatures,” he said.
The blaze and its response have sparked outrage, leading to at least one lawsuit, calls for officials to hire more first responders and a statewide evaluation of fire protocols at assisted living facilities.
Lawsuit filed against home
On July 21, a resident who was injured in the blaze filed a lawsuit alleging he was hurt because the building was poorly managed without a proper emergency response plan.
The suit was filed against Gabriel Care Inc., which is owned and operated by Dennis Etzkorn, the owner of Gabriel House, who officials said is cooperating with ongoing investigations.
In a recent statement, Gabriel Care said the building was up to code and its fire safety systems had been recently inspected – a claim that was confirmed by city records.
Fire department staffing may have contributed
The fire also led to scrutiny of staffing levels at the Fall River Fire Department. Local firefighters as well as members of the International Association of Fire Fighters labor union said at a recent news conference that the department has chronic staffing issues, which hampered their response to the devastating fire.
“We did the best we could with what we had – but what we had was not enough,” said Michael O’Reagan, a firefighter who was off-duty but among those who rushed to the scene to help.
The city expects to budget for an additional $1.5 million for fire department staffing, but in the immediate future, officials plan to fill the gaps with overtime.
“In the long term, we will be hiring about 15 to 20 firefighters coming on in the ranks over the next two years,” said Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon at a recent city council meeting.
Governor promises to fast-track funding
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey visited Fall River on July 22 to announce her administration will be fast-tracking funding to support local fire services. During her stop, Healey announced $1.2 million in state funds would be made available to Fall River to hire more emergency response personnel and made it clear she would double-down efforts to enact tighter legislative measures in response to the tragedy at Gabriel House.Healey said she recognized the skill and dedication of emergency personnel and first responders, and wants to understand what the community needs moving forward “in the wake of this tragedy.”
“No family, no resident, and no community should ever live in fear that this could happen to them,” Healey said.
Contributed: Dan Medeiros, USA TODAY Network
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Officials reveal causes of deadly fire at assisted living facility
