Authorities identified some of the residents of a Fall River assisted living facility who died due to a large fire on Sunday night.
The residents were:
A 70-year-old female and a 77-year-old male will be identified after the next of kin are notified, according to the Bristol District Attorney’s Office.
The origin and cause of the fire remain under investigation by state and local authorities. The cause does not appear to be suspicious at this time, the office said.
“My heart goes out to all of the victims, their families and all of those impacted by this terrible tragedy. I would like to commend the first responders for their efforts in bringing many of the residents to safety while being confronted with very difficult circumstances,” District Attorney Tom Quinn said in a statement.
A fire broke out at about 9:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Gabriel House Assisted Living Residence, which drew nearly 50 firefighters to the scene and left a vulnerable population calling for help from their windows.
The Gabriel House opened in 1999 and has a total of 100 units, according to a state website.
Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon described rescue efforts as “super labor-intensive and man-power intensive” due to the mobility issues for many of the residents.
The first firefighters at the scene saw flames coming out of the front doors and multiple residents were hanging out of the window, screaming for help, Bacon said.
