A fire that killed 10 people at an assisted living center in Fall River, Mass., this month began in a resident’s second-floor room, where investigators found an oxygen machine and “smoking materials,” officials said Tuesday.
The presence of medical oxygen “played a significant role” in the rapid start and spread of the fire on July 13 at the facility, Gabriel House, Jon Davine, the Massachusetts state fire marshal, said at a news conference.
“Smoking is especially dangerous when home oxygen is in use,” Mr. Davine said. “No one should smoke around medical oxygen.”
Officials said the fire was accidental.
Thomas M. Quinn III, the district attorney for Bristol County, said that a preliminary examination of the scene and initial interviews, as well as additional evidence gathered in the last week, show that “the fire did not appear to be set intentionally.”
Investigators determined the fire began in a resident’s room on the left side of the facility’s second floor, Mr. Davine said. There were no signs that the fire was caused by cooking, lighting, heating, electrical outlets or appliances in the room, or by candles or incense, he said.
But investigators found an oxygen concentrator — a medical device that filters oxygen from the air — and “numerous smoking materials,” in the room, Mr. Davine said. An electrical or mechanical failure involving the oxygen concentrator, or the improper use or disposal of smoking materials, were identified as the two possible causes of the fire, Mr. Davine said.
