By Tiffany Williams –
FALL RIVER, Mass. — The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office has confirmed the death of the 10th victim from Sunday’s devastating fire at the Gabriel House Assisted Living Facility, marking the deadliest fire in Massachusetts in four decades.
Officials identified the victim as 66-year-old Brenda Cropper, who had been in critical condition since the blaze. Her passing, which occurred Friday, had been anticipated, authorities said.
The DA’s office initially announced Cropper’s death on Thursday but later retracted that statement due to a miscommunication with a medical agency. Her death was officially confirmed Saturday.
Cropper is among ten individuals who lost their lives following the five-alarm fire that swept through the assisted living facility on July 13. The deceased have been identified as:
- Rui Alvernaz, 64
- Ronald Codega, 61
- Brenda Cropper, 66
- Margaret Duddy, 69
- Robert King, 78
- Kim Mackin, 71
- Richard Rochon, 78
- Joseph Wilansky, 77
- Eleanor Witten, 86
- An unnamed 70-year-old victim
Officials say the cause of the fire remains under investigation. As of Saturday, one person injured in the fire remains in critical condition.
This tragedy marks the deadliest fire in Massachusetts since the 1982 hotel blaze in Peabody that killed 14 people.