FALL RIVER, Mass. — In the years before a devastating fire killed ten residents at Fall River’s Gabriel House, records released to Boston 25 News reveal inspectors were keeping a close eye on the facility.
In 2016, Gabriel House temporarily lost its ability to accept new clients for an incident of “resident mistreatment.”
The incident was resolved later in the year, allowing Gabriel House to accept new residents.
State Inspectors regularly conduct surprise compliance reviews at up to two-year intervals.
At the time of the deadly fire, state inspectors were due to visit Gabriel House at some point in 2025.
In a five-year lookback, the state provided Boston 25 News with Gabriel House’s two most recent Compliance Review Reports.
In the August 2022 review, the state found problems with record keeping, including a missing annual safety review and missing physician evaluations.
The state was back at Gabriel House on October 31, 2023, where they found more problems with missing paperwork, but the issues were addressed, and Gabriel House received its current certification in December 2023.
Gabriel House owner Dennis Etzkorn said in a statement:
“As I previously stated, while I am aware of numerous media requests for interviews, this is not a time to talk about myself.
My sole concerns, and all that matters right now, are helping investigators determine all the facts and circumstances of this tragedy, and helping our residents’ loved ones in this unbearable time of immense grief.
Regarding Gabriel House’s compliance history, our facility has been inspected by local and state authorities, as well as the sprinkler system vendor, and found to be consistently in compliance with regulations, with rare exceptions that were promptly addressed.
Gabriel House has been allowed to operate continuously throughout that time frame, and in the rare instances where violations were reported, they were answered with a corrective plan that was approved by regulators and put into place by our staff.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
