Nine senior citizens are dead and over 30 are injured after a fire at Gabriel House Assisted Living Facility in Massachusetts trapped residents inside, USA Today reports. Approximately 70 people were living in the building at the time of the fire. At the time of publication, it is unclear how the fire began and is under investigation.
Firefighters responded to the emergency call late Sunday night. Upon arrival they saw the front of the building in flames and immediately began rescuing people while trying to put out the fire.
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According to USA Today, first responders kicked down doors and pulled people through windows while others screamed to be rescued. Nearly half of the residents had to be evacuated through windows or out various doors. Many were physically carried out of the blaze due to mobility issues.
It has been reported that the number of window AC units made rescues difficult, forcing emergency responders to utilize smaller windows to pull people out. The fire damaged was limited to one wing of the building, and no medical records were damaged, USA Today reports.
Mackenna Moralez is the associate editor of the facilities market and the host of the Facilities in Focus podcast.
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