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Fall River fire: Newly released body cam footage shows officers’ response
Fall River police said the officers who responded to the Gabriel House fire “exemplified professionalism, bravery, and selflessness in the face of danger.”
Newly released police body-worn camera footage shows the harrowing scene Fall River first responders faced as they worked to evacuate residents trapped in Sunday’s fatal Gabriel House assisted living facility fire.
Fall River fire:
“The body-worn camera footage offers only a narrow view of the challenging and chaotic conditions faced by first responders that evening,” the Fall River Police Department said of the nearly six-minute clip. “Equipped with flashlights, explosive door-kicks and exceptional courage, 11 officers and 2 sergeants exemplified professionalism, bravery, and selflessness in the face of danger.”
The five-alarm fire killed 10 of the facility’s residents and injured dozens of others. First responders arrived at the scene to find flames erupting from the front door and some of the trapped residents begging for help out of the windows, Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon previously said.
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The body cam footage shared by Fall River police shows first responders breaking down doors and climbing through windows to clear apartments, carrying non-ambulatory residents to safety, and choking on the thick smoke that filled the scene.
“In times of tragedy, we often witness the strength of our community and this incident was no exception,” Fall River police said. “We extend our sincere gratitude to the many residents, businesses, and organizations that have reached out with support and compassion for those affected.”
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Bacon also praised the Fall River police officers who assisted in rescue efforts.
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“I credit those police officers. I spoke to them the night of the fire and said that was absolutely amazing, what I watched them do,” he said. “That’s not their job; that’s not their comfort zone. So for them to be able to recognize that, to go in, to take the smoke that they did and to save people, that was absolutely amazing.”
The city also released several years’ worth of fire inspection reports for Gabriel House Thursday, which indicated the assisted living facility routinely conducted fire drills. Some residents and employees have alleged otherwise in media interviews.
Asked about the proof fire officials collect to confirm fire drills were conducted, Bacon said he couldn’t comment on Gabriel House’s inspections specifically.
However, he continued, “When I did these inspections at nursing homes for 10 years of my career, they would maintain a log book with a signature from whoever was responsible for conducting those. And that was the proof we got from them.”
Bacon also noted that in nursing homes and health care facilities, fire drills are primarily a training exercise for staff, not patients.
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“So I’m not surprised, in this case, that some of the residents weren’t aware of it,” he explained. “It’s so the staff is aware of what their responsibilities are in the event of a fire. It’s not for the patients or the residents.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though authorities have said it appears accidental.
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