At least nine people have died in the United States as a result of a fire that broke out early this morning at a nursing home in the state of Massachusetts, in the northeast of the country.
Firefighters responded to an initial fire call at the Gabriel House center around 9:50 p.m. Sunday night, local time (3:50 a.m. Monday, time in mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands), according to authorities in a press release.
“The fire triggered up to five alarms that alerted 50 firefighters to the area, including 30 off-duty firefighters who eventually joined the fire department,” according to the Massachusetts Fire Department.
About 70 people lived at the residence, according to the fire department’s statement posted on its website. Five of the firefighters required medical attention.
The town’s fire chief, Jeffrey Bacon, confirmed the provisional death toll in an “unimaginable tragedy for the families affected.” The origin and cause of the fire are being investigated by the Fall River Fire Department, Fall River Police, State Police attached to the State Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Bristol District Attorney’s Office.
