The scandalous past of a Massachusetts care home owner has emerged hours after nine people died and 30 were injured at an inferno at one of his properties.
Dennis Etzkorn was accused in a lawsuit of ‘improperly’ making $2 million by bribing health care providers to steer patients towards his business – though the case was dropped in 2015 after judges ruled investigators obtained key records illegally.
And questions about Etzkorn’s firing practices at Gabriel House Assisted Living Facility in Fall River have been raised after Sunday night’s deadly blaze there.
One resident claimed staffers ‘just ran’ instead of trying to help elderly and infirm residents, many of whom were too weak to escape from their rooms themselves.
People who were rescued from the facility praised the bravery of first responders who battled thick smoke and fierce flames to escort them to safety – but one survivor noted that employees at the home did little to help.
‘They didn’t knock on one door,’ resident Robert Cavrel said. ‘They just ran.’
Longtime owner, Etzkorn, 65, spoke with emergency responders amid a scene of devastation in the aftermath of the deadly blaze at his facility on Monday morning.
When asked by reporters whether he had anything to say about the tragedy, he said simply, ‘no’ and walked on by. Investigators have said it is too early to comment on a cause of the blaze.
Court records who that Etzkorn was indicted for paying kickbacks to health care providers in order to secure business from Mass Health clients.
Gabriel House owner Dennis Etzkorn (pictured in red) was accused in a lawsuit of ‘improperly’ making $2 million by bribing health care providers to steer patients towards his business – though the case was dropped in 2015 after judges ruled investigators obtained records illegally
One resident has said staff members at Etzkorn’s Gabriel House Assisted Living Facility (pictured from above on Monday) in Fall River, close to Providence, ‘just ran’ instead of helping elderly and disabled people escape when the blaze broke out on Sunday night
Pictured: Michael Pimentel, a resident of Gabriel House Assisted Living Facility, is assisted by a Fall River police officer outside an emergency shelter set up at the Timao Center after the fire
Filed in Bristol Superior Court in 2015, the lawsuit alleged that the Gabriel Care Inc owner paid $150 to individual health care providers who agreed to steer potential clients towards his facility on Oliver Street in Fall River.
He allegedly ‘improperly procured… in excess of $2 million’ according to the legal documents.
However, Superior Court judges ruled that the office of Martha Coakley, who was the Attorney General at the time, had obtained financial records illegally, and they were banned from using the documents during Etzkorn’s trial.
Prosecutors dropped the case in response to the ruling in May 2015. The Daily Mail has contacted Etzkorn for comment.
Massachusetts officials said he was cooperating with what Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon called ‘a very extensive investigation’.
The fire broke out at Gabriel House at around 9.30pm on Sunday, police said.
Firefighters found terrified residents screaming while hanging out of windows surrounded by dense black smoke when they arrived at the scene.
Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said that more than 30 people were taken to the hospital and nine people have died. One person remains in a critical condition.
Five firefighters were also treated at hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, Bacon said. Around 50 firefighters rushed to the blaze, which triggered five alarms.
Longtime owner, Etzkorn (pictured), 65, spoke with emergency responders amid a scene of devastation in the aftermath of the deadly blaze at his facility on Monday morning
A victim of the fire at a Massachusetts assisted living facility told a maintenance worker that ‘tomorrow’s not guaranteed’ on Friday before he died in the blaze on Sunday night. (Pictured: first responders combing through the debris at Gabriel House on Monday morning)
Fall River, which is home to around 94,000 people, is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, on the Massachusetts side of the border
‘Our heart goes out to all of the families of the people that were injured here, and the people that lost their lives here,’ he told a press conference just after midnight.
‘Fall River stands with them and sends out our thoughts and prayers.’ Bacon grew visibly emotional and choked up as he announced the death toll at the facility.
Fall River, which is home to around 94,000 people, is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, on the Massachusetts side of the border.
State Fire Marshal Jon Davine’s office told the Boston Globe that around 70 people were sleeping at Gabriel House Assisted Living Facility when the fire broke out.
The cause of the inferno has not been disclosed. Fire officials did not say whether the sprinkler system in the building was working, but one resident said she was blasted by jets of hot water amid the chaos.
Fire Chaplain Michael Racine said the fire was the worst loss of life he had ever experienced
Pictured: Gabriel House assisted living facility the morning after the fire killed nine people
Firefighters found terrified elderly people hanging out of windows when they arrived at Gabriel House Assisted Living Facility on Sunday night, officials said. Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan said some of the bodies were still inside by daylight on Monday morning
Local Fire Chaplain Michael Racine said the fire was the most harrowing loss of life he had ever experienced.
‘In all my years of being a Fire Chaplain tonight was the worst night of experiencing such loss of life, multiple fatalities in Fall River,’ he wrote on social media.
‘We pray for those who were injured and those who passed tonight and their families who grieve their loss,’ Racine added.
Gabriel House Assisted Living Facility on Oliver Street has a total of 100 units on the site, which was built in 1999, according to a state website listing care homes.
The Fall River Police Department said their patrol officers were the first on the scene. They were greeted by a wall of thick black smoke, and broke down doors to begin rescuing residents.
‘Approximately a dozen non-ambulatory residents were physically carried out by our officers,’ the department said in a statement.
‘Their bravery and quick action undoubtedly saved many lives.’
Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said that more than 30 people were rushed to the hospital and nine people have died. One person remains in a critical condition
Pictured: Paramedics bring a victim to an ambulance at the Gabriel House facility, after a deadly fire broke out in Fall River, southern Massachusetts, close to the Rhode Island border
Some 50 firefighters were also at the scene, including 30 who were off-duty at the time but sprang into action when they heard about the horrific incident.
A family reunification center has been opened at St. Anne’s Hospital on Middle Street for people who have relatives in the care home.
Families can also call 508-674-5741 for assistance.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said she has expressed condolences and offered state assistance to the city’s mayor and a full investigation is underway.
‘The fire at Gabriel House in Fall River is a tragedy. My heart goes out to those who are waking up to the most horrific news imaginable about their loved ones this morning,’ Healey said in a statement.
‘I’m grateful to the firefighters and first responders whose heroic efforts saved lives.’
