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Assisted-Living Facility Owner and Inspector Sue Each Other over Faulty Sprinklers in Deadly Fire
The lawsuits focus on whether Fire Systems Inc. properly reported recalled sprinkler heads and if Gabriel House failed to act, leading to 10 deaths in the July fire.
- On July 13, 2025, the Gabriel House fire killed 10 people, prompting Fire Systems Inc. to sue owner Dennis Etzkorn, who counterclaimed over long-term inspection failures.
- FSI says its September 2024 inspection found recalled sprinkler heads and notified Gabriel House, but contract records show it was hired for inspections, not maintenance, while Etzkorn counters the warning reached the wrong staffer without follow-up.
- Those three reports noted the sprinklers were 'in good condition... and free of corrosion,' and the Fall River Fire Department relied on FSI's inspections, according to court filings.
- Court papers filed Monday allege inspection failures were a "direct cause" of ten deaths, FSI seeks indemnification, and at least nine lawsuits name Etzkorn, Gabriel House, and FSI.
- Preliminary findings deem the blaze accidental and point to a second-floor resident's room as the likely origin, while the Fall River Fire Department oversaw replacement of recalled sprinkler heads in four residential buildings.
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Associated Press News+15 Reposted by 15 other sources
Assisted-living facility owner and inspector sue each other over faulty sprinklers in deadly fire
The owner of a Massachusetts assisted-living facility that was the site of a fatal fire and an inspection company have sued each other over who is at fault for failure to address a faulty sprinkler system.
·United States
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Gabriel House owner alleges ‘all liability’ rests with fire inspection company, court records show - The Boston Globe
Preliminary findings of an ongoing investigation into the fire that killed 10 residents determined the blaze to have been “accidental,” and zeroed in on a resident’s second-floor room.
·Boston, United States
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Total News Sources19
Leaning Left10Leaning Right0Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Left
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources lean Left
67% Left
L 67%
C 33%
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