FALL RIVER, Mass. — For the first time since the tragic Fall River fire that killed 10 people, 25 Investigates is taking you inside the Gabriel House assisted living facility — revealing new video and images showing how quickly the fire spread and the devastating aftermath left behind.
The fire broke out on Sunday, July 13, on the second floor of the Gabriel House. Within minutes, smoke overtook the hallways and poured through the main lobby, as seen in a never-before-seen Ring video shared exclusively with 25 Investigates.
The footage shows two workers scrambling out the door as thick black smoke fills the building.
In addition to the 10 residents who were killed that night, dozens more were injured.
New 3D imaging also shared with 25 Investigates shows the aftermath — walls and ceilings blistered by flames, a wheelchair abandoned in a charred hallway, and sprinkler heads inside and outside the room where the fire started burned and blackened. But the noticeable, the cap on the sprinkler head, is still intact and in place.
“That’s still intact, so that seal was still in place,” said Avon Assistant Fire Chief Brad Cronin, pointing to one of the sprinkler heads in the images. “So, it doesn’t appear that we had any water discharging from that sprinkler.”
Cronin serves on the National Fire Protection Association committee that oversees residential sprinkler installation. He examined the video and images obtained by 25 Investigates.
“The damage we saw in that fire, the fatalities we saw — that was a fire that was indicative of not being controlled by sprinklers,” Cronin said.
As 25 Investigates has previously reported, the Gabriel House contained sprinklers that were part of a nationwide recall 24 years ago. Those recalled units, made by Central Sprinkler Company, were designed with O-ring seals that could corrode over time.
Despite that recall, the recalled sprinklers inside the Gabriel House were never replaced.
In a written statement issued in August, property owner Dennis Etzkorn said in part, “The most recent inspection was done on July 8, five days before the fire, and the system was reported to be in working order.”
25 Investigates has reached out to Etzkorn for an updated comment.
A spokesperson for the sprinkler inspection company, Fire Systems Inc. of North Dartmouth, said in a statement, “FSI has conducted periodic inspections and testing of the Gabriel House fire alarm and sprinkler system since 2014, in accordance with its service agreement with the property owner, all applicable National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards, and local requirements. FSI did not install – nor was it contracted to maintain – Gabriel House’s system. Furthermore, FSI does not manufacture fire sprinkler components and is not responsible for identifying or evaluating manufacturer recalls.”
25 Investigates has learned that identifying recalled parts is not a required item during routine sprinkler inspections — and that responsibility for maintaining the system falls to the property owner, manufacturer, or installer. And, these inspections, which are limited in scope, do not constitute a certification of system performance.
Since 2014, FSI has conducted periodic inspection and testing of the Gabriel House fire alarm and sprinkler system in accordance with its service agreement. But
Still, Cronin says a thorough inspection should detect corrosion, damage, and if parts under recall are identified, the inspector needs to notify the owner in writing.
“The key takeaway — and something we in the fire service already know — is that sprinklers save lives,” Cronin said.
As does emergency planning and training. Cronin said don’t just have a plan — have a practice.
He also credited the work of firefighters that night, saying the images of the damage and failed sprinklers only underscore their tremendous effort in rescuing residents.
Those recalled sprinklers have since been found in six other buildings in Fall River. The city’s fire chief says the properties have taken steps to replace them.
The chief sent a letter to the State Fire Marshal’s Office calling on other communities and property owners to double-check older buildings.
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