A tenth sufferer has died following the Fall River hearth on the Gabriel Home Assisted Residing Facility on Sunday, the Bristol County DA introduced Thursday morning.
“The decedent, identified as 66-year-old Brenda Cropper, had been hospitalized in critical condition since Sunday’s fire,” the DA’s workplace acknowledged. “Ms. Cropper succumbed to her injuries later in the day (Wednesday).”
5 males and 4 ladies initially died within the blaze that devasted the Gabriel Home neighborhood on Saturday, marking the deadliest hearth in Massachusetts in over 40 years. A minimum of 30 extra have been injured within the hearth.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Gabriel Home supplied a preliminary replace stating two residents remained in essential situation, although the DA’s workplace solely confirmed one.
The assisted-living facility housed 70 residents, a lot of whom wanted help to flee Sunday. Firefighters responded to the scene to seek out many residents hanging out of the home windows of the three-story constructing, screaming for assist.
The fireplace revealed a number of points underneath dispute, together with hearth division staffing the firefighter’s unions mentioned was critically under the nationwide commonplace. The mayor and union got here to an settlement to extend staffing Wednesday.
Security evaluations of the ability, which opened in 1999 on the website of a former motel, additionally resulted in widespread issues. Advocates have flagged points with workers dimension and emergency plans, and a state inspections of the ability, final accomplished in 2023, reportedly documented a number of deficiencies.
The origin and explanation for the fireplace are at present underneath investigation by metropolis and state officers.
