Family of Gabriel House resident retains large personal injury law firm to investigate facility fire

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) — The family of a resident at the Gabriel House assisted living facility has retained a law firm to investigate the circumstances leading up to the deadly Sunday fire that killed nine people and left dozens injured.

According to a statement from Emily Walsh, Communications Manager for law firm Morgan and Morgan, the firm has been hired to look into the fire for the family.

The firm’s founder John Morgan and attorney Luke Mitcheson said in a statement:

Morgan & Morgan has been retained to find answers as to why this happened. Our investigation is already under way, in which we’re examining if the facility was adequately staffed and provided proper training to staff, potential code violations, and possible failures of fire safety equipment, including smoke detectors, fire alarms, and sprinkler systems.

We will also look at whether people were able to safely and easily exit the building. Our seniors deserve our best efforts. We are pursuing all avenues for justice and accountability for the potential negligence that may have contributed to a deadly and destructive fire that displaced roughly 70 people.

Attempts to reach Gabriel House owner Dennis Etzkorn for comment on the fire have been unsuccessful.