Overview

• Authorities released names of seven of the nine victims as part of the ongoing investigation into the Sunday night blaze.
• State fire marshals, Fall River police and the Bristol County district attorney’s office are jointly probing the cause and spread of the fire.
• Dozens of displaced residents remain in temporary housing while state officials coordinate longer-term shelter and support services.
• Firefighters unions cited chronic staffing shortages in the department as a factor that may have hindered rescue efforts.
• Past safety inspections noted compliance lapses at Gabriel House, which opened in 1999 to serve low-income seniors, prompting renewed scrutiny of facility oversight.