Gabriel House was an assisted living residence, according to the state of Massachusetts. Here's how the state defines that

Shirley Chambra was outside smoking a cigarette when she saw sparks and then flames at her home: the Gabriel House assisted-living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts.

River's building department released certificates of inspection for the assisted living facility where nine people died in a fire, Sunday night.

A Massachusetts assisted-living center where nine residents died in a fire was cited for failing to immediately report more than two dozen health and safety incidents.

An assisted-living center in Massachusetts, where nine people died in a fire on Sunday, was cited for failing to report within 24 hours more than two dozen safety incidents years before the tragedy, according to the state’s compliance report of the facility.

At a press conference Tuesday, July 15, outside FRFD headquarters, Bacon said the city has typically relied on overtime for coverage in the event of a crisis -- but in an event like the Gabriel House “you can never have enough staff,” and that he is primarily focused on the lives that were saved.

A former employee said she never saw the staff perform fire drills. The local fire chief pushed back at claims that dispatching more firefighters would’ve saved more lives.

Following a deadly fire at the Gabriel House assisted living home in Fall River, a state lawmaker is pushing for hearings to examine the incident and the regulatory requirements for assisted living centers in Massachusetts.