US EditionWoman, 66, is the 10th person to die after Massachusetts assisted-living facility fire
FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS, JUL 20 – Brenda Cropper died after five days in critical condition, raising the death toll to 10 in the deadliest Massachusetts fire in 40 years, with around 30 injured, officials said.
- On 7/18/25, District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III confirmed Brenda Cropper’s death at 4:43 pm, raising the death toll from the Sunday fire at Gabriel House in Fall River to ten.
- The district attorney’s office said the cause remains under investigation and not suspicious, after records and staff flagged poor conditions at Gabriel House, and owner Dennis Etzkorn faced dropped charges.
- More than 50 firefighters, including 30 off duty, and all city police officers joined rescue efforts after frantic 911 calls shortly after 9:30 p.m., while residents screamed from windows as the three-story facility burned.
- The Firefighters’ Wives Association raised over $115,000 for victims’ families, the city has sanctioned support programs, and around 30 people were injured and displaced in the blaze.
- Edward Kelly, IAFF Local 1314 president, criticized understaffing and said up to eight more firefighters could have aided rescues, while Mayor Paul Coogan said staffing requests were met and coverage decisions rest with department leaders.
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16 Articles
In Fall River, our promise to the elderly went up in smoke - CommonWealth Beacon
THE SMELL OF smoke should never be the last thing a person experiences in their own home. Yet for residents of the Gabriel House assisted living facility in Fall River, that nightmare became a reality last week. The fire that tore through their building, killing 10 residents and injuring more than 20 others, wasn’t just a tragic accident; it was a catastrophic failure of a system that promised safety and delivered a death trap. Gov. Healey’s …
Death toll rises to 10 in devastating Massachusetts assisted living facility fire
By Andy Rose and Zoe Sottile (CNN) — Ten people have died after a Massachusetts assisted living facility caught fire Sunday night, making elderly residents rush to their windows to scream and beg for help as smoke filled the hallways. The blaze at Gabriel House assisted living facility in Fall River was the deadliest fire in Massachusetts since 1984, CNN affiliate WCVB reported. Brenda Cropper, 66, had been hospitalized in critical condition sin…
Associated Press News
Woman, 66, is the 10th person to die after Massachusetts assisted-living facility fire
Officials are confirming Saturday that a tenth person has died after the fire that tore through an assisted-living facility in Massachusetts last weekend.
Tenth victim dies after Gabriel House fire in Fall River
FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) — The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office said a tenth victim had died after the Gabriel House fire on July 13. 66-year-old Brenda Cropper died on July 18. She had been hospitalized in critical condition since the fire. Cropper was initially reported to have succumbed to her injuries on July 16 according to a miscommunication. Categories: Fall River, Massachusetts, News
Gabriel House fire claims 10th victim as woman taken off life support
Brenda Cropper, 66, a woman who has been in critical condition since Sunday when flames engulfed the Gabriel House Assisted Living Residence in Fall River, died after she was taken off life support, one of her children told MassLive on Friday.
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