<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Flames have roared through an assisted-living facility in Massachusetts, killing nine people and trapping residents inside, including some who leaned out of windows and screamed for help, US authorities say.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At least 30 people were hurt.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A firefighters' union said inadequate staffing hindered the response to the blaze and contributed to the death toll, though the mayor criticised that characterisation, and the fire chief suggested no number of first responders would have been enough.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/emergency-situation-causing-delays-on-sydney-train-network/b746b614-4ce3-4839-8729-c2bcd7a9fb1c" target="_blank"><strong><span>Emergency situation causing delays on Sydney train network</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Meanwhile, several residents who praised firefighters and police for heroic rescue efforts said staff members did little to help.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They didn't knock on one door," Robert Cabral said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They just ran."</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/fall-river-fire-nine-dead-residents-trapped-as-flames-tear-through-us-assisted-living-facility/33164f18-aaf4-492a-92ef-352a1270113e" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Firefighters responded to the Gabriel House facility in Fall River, about 80km south of Boston, at about 9.50pm Sunday local time (11.50am Monday AEST) and were met with heavy smoke and flames at the front of the building.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Bristol County district attorney's office said in a statement that the fire's cause "does not appear to be suspicious at this time".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Its origin remains under investigation, authorities said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Lorraine Ferrara, one of about 70 residents at the facility, awoke to a neighbour pounding on her door.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She tried to make her way through the smoke in the hallway but retreated to her room as the sprinkler system shot hot water onto her back.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>As her room filled with smoke, Ferrara opened her window and yelled.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A firefighter broke the window and carried her down the ladder, she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I really thought I was going to die," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I thought there was no way out."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/jeffrey-epstein-memo-fallout-pits-donald-trump-against-maga-supporters/1202320e-e0ba-438c-9f80-87959a545cbd" target="_blank"><strong><span>Jeffrey Epstein fallout poses a loyalty test: Trump — or MAGA?</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>That fear mixed with anger as she watched two employees run from the building.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They left us alone and ran out into the parking lot," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I was hanging out the window — 'Help! Help!' and they just kept running."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The dead ranged in age from 61 to 86, authorities said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Bristol County district attorney's office identified seven of the deceased as Rui Albernaz, 64; Ronald Codega, 61; Margaret Duddy, 69; Robert King, 78; Kim Mackin, 71; Richard Rochon, 78; and Eleanor Willett, 86.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The office said a 70-year-old woman and 77-year-old man were still pending notification of family.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Gabriel House opened in 1999 and has 100 units, according to Massachusetts Executive Office of Aging and Independence.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Its website promotes studio apartments "for those seniors who cannot afford the high end of assisted living" as well as group adult foster care within walking distance of shopping, restaurants and churches.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"If an emergency occurs, no matter the time, there will be someone ready to help," the website states.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/russia-ukraine-donald-trump-threatens-vladimir-putin-tariffs-over-war/f04604f6-f2a5-4096-b575-3d2431a7a4b7" target="_blank"><strong><span>Trump threatens Russia with tariffs and boosts US weapons for Ukraine</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Dennis Etzkorn, the facility's owner, declined to comment, but officials said he was cooperating with what Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon called "a very extensive investigation."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>District Attorney Tom Quinn called the fire a "terrible tragedy" in a statement that also commended first responders "bringing many of the residents to safety while being confronted with very difficult circumstances".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Firefighters union decries lack of staff, equipment</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>About 50 firefighters responded to the scene, including 30 who were off-duty.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Police also helped break down doors and carried about a dozen residents to safety. Five injured firefighters were released from the hospital Monday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"You couldn't have had enough people here to save everybody that needed help last night," Bacon said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But officials with the firefighters union said the closing of fire companies and cutbacks on staff have been a problem for decades.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>If staffing had been at the nationally recommended level, eight more firefighters would have been at the scene Sunday night and "lives would've been saved," Edward Kelly, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters union, said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/baby-boomers-fastest-growing-demographic-investing-in-cryptocurrency-at-risk-of-scams-personal-finance-news/d689a031-c777-4d74-8550-69d7501a07eb" target="_blank"><strong><span>Baby Boomers now fastest growing group of crypto investors, vulnerable to scams</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Captain Frank O'Reagan said there was no breathing equipment available when he arrived, so he started going door to door on the third floor without an air tank.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"First room, empty. Second door I kicked in, body. Next room, empty. Next room, body," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I searched as much as a could but after a while you just can't take that much smoke."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>O'Reagan's brother and fellow firefighter Michael O'Reagan said he was shocked that 40 minutes after firefighters arrived, a large part of the building had not been searched.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We did the best we could with what we had, and what we had was not enough," Michael O'Reagan, president of the Fall River firefighters' union, said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mayor Paul Coogan said the fire department is staffed based on the recommendation from the fire chief.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We staff the fire department at the number the chief asked for," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We're not even 24 hours into this and that's going to be a priority, not the families?"</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Joe Alves, who lives several houses down from the facility, said he saw officials pulling bodies, people in wheelchairs and injured pets out of the building, with some pouring water bottles on burns.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-driving-age-rules-elderly-state-by-state-explainer/291b8f1c-ba02-4f6b-871a-62346f843362" target="_blank"><strong><span>Is it legal for elderly Australians to keep driving? All the rules for older drivers by state and territory</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It was terrible," he said, choking up slightly.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Clever Parra, who lives behind the facility, said he joined several other neighbours to help evacuate residents through the windows.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The 40-year-old construction worker described going up a ladder and seeing a man inside attempting to open a window to escape the flames.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>After trying on his own, Parra turned to a firefighter to break the window.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The firefighter "sent the guy to me feet first and I take the guy out and bring him down," he recalled.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey offered state assistance to the city's mayor, condolences to the families of those who died and gratitude to first responders.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Brian Doherty, president of the Massachusetts Assisted Living Association, said state officials were working with long-term care facilities to find homes for displaced residents.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Paul Lanzikos, a former Massachusetts Secretary of Elder Affairs and co-founder of the advocacy group Dignity Alliance, said the group was concerned by what has been reported about the lack of fire drills, low number of staff for a highly dependent population and safety issues such as a broken elevator and air conditioners in the windows.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/finance/gst-why-are-there-calls-to-change-it-australia-tax-system-explained/90b4e02e-8aec-4a15-8727-e2ba31209a98" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Politicians don't want to talk about it, economists want to overhaul it. So why are there calls to raise the GST?</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It's a terrible tragedy that should have never happened," Lanzikos said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>City is one of the poorest in Massachusetts</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>With about 94,000 residents, Fall River is the state's 10th-largest city and one of its poorest.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The blue-collar community in southern Massachusetts was once a global centre for textile manufacturing, but it suffered population loss and economic hardship as the industry declined.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Recent decades have seen some new development and investment, but the city has also been rocked by scandal.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Former Mayor Jasiel Correia was convicted in a corruption trial and sentenced to six years in prison in 2021.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Survivors of the fire were ushered to a temporary housing centre about 800 metres from their former home, many of them in shock after losing most of their belongings.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Some broke down in tears, others threw out names — desperate to know who was still alive.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/winter-weather-forecast-australia-high-rain-temperatures-snowfall/1d125063-9fd1-43f2-a990-721beb29116b" target="_blank"><strong><span>Lots of rain for some and unusually warm for all: What you can expect from the weather this winter</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Staffers handed out sandwiches, beverages and even canes for those who did not have time to grab their medical equipment in the smoke and flames.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Neal Beck, who had lived at Gabriel House for six years, said he was rescued by ladder from his bathroom window.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I've been homeless before," Beck said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I guess I'll be homeless again."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Head cook Paul Ferreira was off the clock Sunday night but rushed to the scene and watched as bodies were removed from the building.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He grew emotional describing the community of people who have long struggled to find affordable housing.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Not knowing it was the last time I was cooking for them, it's sad. They become part of your family," Ferreira said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Some of these people have no family members. Where are they going to go now?"</span></div></div>