At least nine people died and more than 30 more people were injured when a fire broke out in a life center at the Boston region on Sunday evening, authorities announced.
About 70 people lived in the center of life assisted by Gabriel House in Fall River, Massachusetts, where the fire started around 9:30 p.m. Sunday (0130 GMT on Monday), according to Jake Wark, spokesperson for Massachusetts Department of Fire Services.
Wark said that around 50 firefighters responded to Fall River’s incident, located about 60 miles south of Boston. The city has opened a temporary shelter for surviving residents.
The firefighters saved many occupants of the establishment, which is designed so that the elderly live independently with the help of the staff. Several residents have been declared dead on the scene, while many others have been transported in hospitals. A person would have been in critical condition.
24 hours busy for our firefighters, many of whom working at 3 alarm fire on Corwin St. during the day and the 4 alarm fires that evening on Poplar St. An excellent work of all our firefighters and fire operators. pic.twitter.com/zozecvpwla
– Boston Fire Dept. (@bostonfire) July 13, 2025
Fall River’s firefighters, Jeffrey Bacon, told the media on Monday that some people were suspended from windows when the firefighters arrived, according to the Boston Globe.
“This is an unfathomable tragedy for families involved and the community of Fall River,” said Bacon, adding that the fire was the subject of an investigation.
Five firefighters suffered injuries not putting his life in danger, said Wark.
