Update on Fall River assisted living fire expected as workers, relatives mourn losses

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) — Nine people died and 30 others were injured in Sunday night’s fire at the Gabriel House assisted living facility.

Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon will hold a press conference Tuesday afternoon with the latest on the ongoing investigation.

For the foreseeable future, a daily news briefing will be held Monday through Friday at one in the afternoon.

Survivors are now describing their experience from inside the building, as investigators try to find out how the fire spread so quickly.

Firefighters and other first responders rescued dozens of people Sunday night at the Oliver Street building.

Among them, Lorraine Ferrara, who was trapped in her room.

“I thought I was dead, I really thought I was gonna meet my maker. I did think that. The smoke was heavy in there and I opened the window and I yelled ‘help help help’ and the fireman came up the ladder, broke the window and got me out,” said Ferrara.

The injured were carried away on stretchers, and rushed to local hospitals.

Five firefighters were treated for minor injuries, but were later released.

First responder crews from Somerset, Swansea, Westport, Dartmouth, Raynham, Dighton, Tiverton and Portsmouth were all hands on deck to assist.

Paul Ferreira, the head cook at Gabriel House, told the Associated Press he was working at the building just hours before the fire started.

“And Sunday, yesterday I worked from 3 in the morning til 6 o’clock at night. Not knowing that this is the last time I cooked for them. It’s sad. They become part of your family, you know,” said Ferreira.

“They don’t know what they’re gonna do because some of these people were actually homeless people that this place took in, you know, because some of the facilities are very expensive. This is like the cheapest one and this one allows all different ages. It’s not just for elderly. It’s for anybody that, you know, that needs a place to live. There’s about 70 residents that lived here.”

The fire department did a great job though. They did an excellent job because look at the building, it’s still intact. I mean, how bad it was, you figure the building would be half gone.”