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FALL RIVER, MASS. (WHDH) - A crowd of area residents gathered for a vigil in Fall River on Tuesday as the community continues to grapple with the tragic fire at an assisted-living facility that left 9 people dead and dozens injured.
The now-boarded-up Gabriel House was surrounded by community members who paid their respects to those who lost their lives in a fast-moving fire Sunday night.
Among them was Mayor Paul Coogan, who says he is growing increasingly upset with the facility’s owner, Dennis Etzkorn, who he says only answered the phone once on Tuesday and is no longer picking up.
“To me, he should be here every day,” Coogan said. “I want him to know these are his residents. He might as well push them to the sidewalk and say, ‘Have a nice day,’ if he’s not going to follow up.”
Meanwhile, Fall River’s Fire Chief Jeff Bacon announced that fire officials are in the process of releasing three years worth of Gabriel House’s inspectional reports, including its evacuation plan.
“I know there is going to be a lot of questions about the investigation and the inspectional services investigation,” he said, adding, “I’m focusing my firefighters on the 50-plus lives saved in that incident based not their heroic efforts and that’s what I need to focus on for my mental health and their mental health to get through this.”
Support counselors are being made available to firefighters as they return to work.
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