Overview

• Ten residents were killed and dozens more injured in the July 13 blaze at the Fall River assisted-living facility.
• Owner Dennis Etzkorn issued his first public statement, expressing heartbreak and committing full cooperation with investigators.
• He announced a system to recover and return residents’ personal effects by the end of next week.
• Investigators have narrowed the fire’s origin to either a malfunctioning oxygen concentrator or smoking materials but have not reached a definitive conclusion.
• A survivor has filed a negligence lawsuit over unreturned belongings, and state regulators have launched fire-safety audits at assisted-living facilities after earlier inspection lapses.