Former employees feared disaster at Gabriel House, where wheelchair users were trapped for months by broken elevators and no fire drills were conducted in years.

Assisted living centers are rare in Mass, but many families still don’t know what they offer or how they differ from other elder care facilities.

A woman previously reported to have died after a fire at a Fall River assisted living residence remains in critical condition, the district attorney's office said.

The family of a resident at the Gabriel House assisted living facility has retained a law firm to investigate the circumstances leading up to the deadly Sunday fire that killed nine people and left dozens injured.

There’s no doubt in my mind that that fire was destined to kill 50-plus people,” Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said Wednesday.

Questions and finger-pointing have increased in the days since a fire at a Massachusetts assisted-living facility killed nine and hurt dozens.

The investigation into the fire’s cause is ongoing but “does not appear to be suspicious,” according to the Bristol County district attorney's office.