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10th person dies in Fall River assisted living facility fire, DA says
Brenda Cropper, 66, had been hospitalized in critical condition following Sunday’s five-alarm blaze.
July 18 update: The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office released a statement Friday saying it mistakenly announced Brenda Cropper’s death due to a miscommunication with a medical agency. Cropper remains alive and in critical condition, the DA’s office said.
Original story:
A 10th person has died from injuries sustained in Fall River’s fatal Gabriel House assisted living facility fire, authorities announced Thursday.
Brenda Cropper, 66, had been hospitalized in critical condition following Sunday’s five-alarm blaze, which killed nine other Gabriel House residents and injured dozens more. The victims ranged in age from 61 to 86.
Fall River fire:
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Cropper succumbed to her injuries later in the day Wednesday, the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office said.
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The fire’s origin and cause remain under investigation, but Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon told reporters Wednesday the flames broke out in a room on the facility’s second floor.
“I’m comfortable saying that it’s an accidental fire,” he added. “There’s nothing intentional about this fire.”
Bacon tearfully described how Fall River firefighters waded through heavy black smoke to evacuate some non-ambulatory Gabriel House residents and “pushed themselves beyond their limits” in the process. Their actions, he said, were “nothing short of heroic.”
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Sunday’s fire also prompted scrutiny over the assisted living facility’s emergency preparedness and the fire department’s staffing levels. Fire union officials noted eight of Fall River’s 10 fire companies were staffed below national standards, and Mayor Paul Coogan said Wednesday the city will bring on additional firefighters to help close the gap.
“Instead of having two trucks at the minimum standard by the fire safety commission, we’re going to go to six,” he said during a press conference, calling the move “a very positive step in the right direction.”
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