New details about deadly Fall River assisted-living fire emerge, but exact cause remains unclear

A 10th victim has died from the fire that ripped through a Massachusetts assisted-living facility earlier this week, officials said Thursday, as records and accounts from staff raise concerns about conditions at Gabriel House before the blaze.

Brenda Cropper, 66, died late Wednesday after being hospitalized in critical condition, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III announced. His office did not release any more information about Cropper or about the fire itself, which erupted Sunday evening and left some residents hanging out windows of the three-story facility, screaming for help.

The cause remains under investigation, but the district attorney’s office says it does not appear suspicious. Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon says the blaze started in a room on the second floor.

At least 30 people were hurt, and nine people were initially reported dead, all over the age of 60, as thick smoke and flames trapped residents inside. The fire chief said Wednesday that a second person was also in critical condition.

Inspection reports released Thursday by the city’s Bureau of Fire Investigation identified no problems at Gabriel House going back to 2019. The reports cover things like sprinkler systems, fire extinguishers, exit doors, and general housekeeping.

However, displaced residents and relatives have told of substandard conditions at the facility in Fall River, a blue-collar community of shuttered textile mills that’s one of the poorest cities in Massachusetts.

The tragedy has called attention to the minimal regulations that govern assisted-living facilities. The facility’s owner, Dennis Etzkorn, had repeatedly been cited by state regulators for tardiness in reporting potential health and safety incidents. He has declined to comment to The Associated Press and Boston 25 News.

In documents released Wednesday, receipts from pest control companies as far back as 2015 showed Gabriel House being treated for bed bugs and other pests. A 2015 receipt described the dining room as “filthy” and that “food was undercooked.”

Jenn Marley, who worked at the facility as a certified nursing assistant from 2018 to January 2020, said bedbugs, cockroaches, and mice were a problem, and that some bathrooms were filthy even though residents were supposed to get help with cleaning. Management kept track of residents who asked for more toilet paper, she said in an interview.

“God forbid if they ran out of toilet paper, the boss would complain that we had to give them a roll,” she said.

Marley said she sometimes made large batches of chili at home and brought it to residents because she worried they weren’t getting enough to eat. Portions served at Gabriel House were noticeably small, she said.

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“Hot dogs and a teaspoon of beans. I’m sorry, my cat eats more than that,” said Marley, who described a cook yelling at a resident who asked for more.

“You expect better conditions,” she said. “It’s sad.”

Those who died have been identified as Joseph Wilansky, 77, Rui Albernaz, 64, Ronald Codega, 61, Margaret Duddy, 69, Robert King, 78, Kim Mackin, 71, Richard Rochon, 78, and Eleanor Willett, 86. The identity of a 70-year-old woman has not been released.

Union officials say the city didn’t staff enough firefighters to rescue all the residents trapped in the blaze. It’s a contention that city officials have since sought to resolve by promising to add more firefighters to each shift, initially via overtime and eventually by hiring new staff.

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