Issues with owner, questions of staff levels as Fall River community comes to grips with tragic fire

Balloons candles and flowers decorate the outside of the assisted living facility in Fall River where a fire took the lives of nine Sunday night As the area mourns the city s major has a message for the facility s owner As the Fall River district continues to grieve the tragedy at Gabriel House Coogan is directing his frustrations at the owner of the assisted living facility saying Dennis Etzkorn is no longer answering his calls To me he should be here everyday Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan mentioned I want him to know these are his residents He might as well push them to the side and say Have a nice day if he s not going to follow up Meanwhile questions remain about the fire department s staffing levels Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon declared that while more firefighters would be ideal the focus should stay on the nine lives lost in the fire their families and those who survived I m focusing my firefighters on the plus lives saved in that situation based on their heroic efforts Bacon commented That s what I need to focus on for my mental vitality and their mental strength to get through this On Tuesday people visited Gabriel House to leave flowers and balloons One person News spoke with there lives nearby and did not know anyone inside but witnessed the immediate aftermath I just pray for the families that had family members in there reported Carmen Rego Especially being assisted living and elderly people all of us are touched by that because we have a grandmother a grandfather The firefighters did a good job Very very quick Rego stated there is now a void in the neighborhood with the lives lost and the survivors forced out of the place they called home It was so nice to see those people coming outside and catch sun talk to people she commented It s so sad We lost our neighbors