The Bristol County DA Says It Incorrectly Declared a 10th Person Dead in Fall River Fire

The woman is alive, but in critical condition

Nine people died and more than 30 were injured in a fire at an assisted living facility in Fall River, Mass., on July 13, 2025.
Nine people died and more than 30 were injured in a fire at an assisted living facility in Fall River, Mass., on July 13, 2025.
Lindsey Poole / RIPBS
Share
Nine people died and more than 30 were injured in a fire at an assisted living facility in Fall River, Mass., on July 13, 2025.
Nine people died and more than 30 were injured in a fire at an assisted living facility in Fall River, Mass., on July 13, 2025.
Lindsey Poole / RIPBS
The Bristol County DA Says It Incorrectly Declared a 10th Person Dead in Fall River Fire
Copy

The Bristol County District Attorney’s office said Friday it had mistakenly announced that a 10th person had died in the fire at the Gabriel House assisted living facility in Fall River.

The DA’s office said yesterday that 66-year-old Brenda Cropper had died. But now, the DA said that the mistake was due to “a miscommunication with a medical agency.”

Cropper is still alive, the DA said, but she remains in critical condition.

Nine others died in the Gabriel House fire. An investigation into the fire’s cause is still ongoing, but Fall River Fire Department Chief Jeffrey Bacon said he believes it was accidental.

The DA’s office has not responded to multiple requests for comment from The Public’s Radio.

Michael Black describes lunging at the gunman inside Pawtucket’s Dennis M. Lynch Arena, helping jam the weapon and subdue the shooter as other bystanders rushed in — actions police say “undoubtedly prevented further injury” in a tragedy that left three dead and three critically wounded
At Trinity Repertory Company, two women at life’s crossroads — played by Kortney Adams and Jackie Davis — discover connection, identity and unexpected spark in a sharply observed two-hander directed by Curt Columbus
Heavy metal on bagpipes, art as activism and hip-hop strings? Yes, please.
Three decades after being elected to Congress, Rhode Island’s senior U.S. senator is running again, in part to oppose President Trump
With a March 17 deadline looming, officials say the town cannot absorb what amounts to nearly 10% of its annual budget
Gunfire at a Pawtucket high school hockey game forces a painful reckoning about violence, division and responsibility