Mayor Coogan says the city hopes to work with partners on the state level to turn several of the nursing homes who have stepped in to help into long term facilities.

City Councilor Linda Pereira during the Fall River City Council Tuesday July 15, 2025.

Assisted living residences in Massachusetts are required to have sufficient staffing to meet resident needs and handle emergencies, but the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Nine people were killed and one was critically injured in an assisted living home fire in Fall River, Massachusetts, authorities said. Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon called the fire at Gabriel House "an unfathomable tragedy.

Authorities said nine people are dead and at least 30 people injured after a five-alarm fire broke out at the Gabriel House Assisted Living Facility in Fall River late Sunday night.

Firefighters respond to the five-alarm fire, dispatching approximately 50 firefighters to the scene, including 30 who were off duty at the time.