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.

Rhode Island’s senators cite an ongoing threat to health coverage
Sunday, December 21, at 6:30 pm
Tuesday, December 2, 2025
Who, and who is not, on state voter rolls is a controversial topic, especially as the Trump administration seeks to exert more control over elections.
Though the group of mostly Rhode Island-based plaintiffs won a legal victory Thursday, an administrative stay seeks to give an appeals court time for review.
What Trump and Mamdani share in common, plus RI Senate leaders turn out for a rival to a Senate incumbent