‘Send me everybody’: Fall River FD report narrows down possible causes of Gabriel House fire
FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) — The Fall River Fire Department and Chief Jeffrey Bacon have released the after action report for the July 13 Gabriel House fire that left ten residents dead and multiple others injured.
According to the report, the official cause of the fire is undetermined, but has been narrowed down to “two possible accidental ignition sources: smoking materials or an oxygen concentrator failure.”
These possible causes were also cited by Massachusetts State Fire Marshal Jon Davine in a preliminary report shortly after the fire.
The review of Gabriel House’s compliance with state safety and building code is ongoing by the Department of Fire Services due to the volume of records and cross-checking.
There was no evidence of intentional ignition found by investigators, and cooking equipment, heating appliances and candles were all ruled out as potential causes.
The report says that 53 residents were rescued from the building, with a best estimate of 27 via department ladders and 26 via hallways and stairs.
“Without the decisive actions of the FRFD, the Fall River Police Department (FRPD) and Fall River EMS (FREMS), the loss of life would have been far greater,” said the report.
The report cites numerous challenges in the building such as lack of hallway fire doors and rooms equipped with window air conditioner units framed by plywood.
According to the report’s timeline of the fire, at 9:45 p.m., a command update stated, “Send me everybody.”
This was only seven minutes after the activation of the Gabriel House fire alarm.
At 10:05 p.m., C2 stated “Actively removing victims, beginning room-by-room search. Fire broke out on B side but has been extinguished.”
The fire was reported knocked down at 10:37 p.m. with hot spots being address shortly after.
The report cited staffing as a challenge in fighting the fire, stating “Less firefighters on scene were forced to conduct multiple critical tasks, stretching crews thin and increasing risk.”
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has since pledged $1.2 million to Fall River toward hiring more emergency personnel.
In its conclusion, the report stated “[the incident] also identified areas for operational improvement, including staffing for high-risk facilities and the value of permanently assigned District Chief aides.”
“Ultimately, the Gabriel House fire serves as a testament to the professionalism and dedication of first responders.”