At least nine people have been killed after an assisted living facility in Massachusetts swept the fire, and dozens of other residents and five firefighters have been taken to the hospital.
Authorities responded at Gabriel House in Fall River township at about 21:50 local time on Sunday (02:50 Monday). Upon arrival, they found residents trapped in the blazing buildings.
About 50 firefighters went to the scene, including about 30 who were off work at the time.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Fall River is about 50 miles south of Boston and 20 miles from Providence, Rhode Island.
The local fire department said in a statement that “several residents” were pronounced dead at the scene, while others were rescued under different conditions and taken to local and regional hospitals.
Five firefighters who were taken to the hospital suffered non-life threatening injuries.
“This is an incredible tragedy for the families involved and the Fore River community,” said Jeffrey Bacon, Fal River Fire Chief.
About 70 people lived at the facility before the fire.
In a press conference, Forre River Mayor Paul Coogan said the building was equipped with sprinklers and the fire was loaded on one of the building’s wings, but smoke had been spread across the three-story building.
“In the United States, smoke kills more people than fire,” he said. “I think the lesson you can learn here is that you listen to smoke detectors and react because smoke is a very deadly force.”
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