FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) — Five months after a deadly fire tore through a Fall River assisted living facility, the owner of Gabriel House is disputing claims that he failed to listen to warnings about the building sprinkler system. According to our ABC affiliate WCVB, vendor Fire Systems, Inc i nformed Gabriel House owner Dennis Etzkorn that the sprinklers were subject to a recall. According to court documents, the warning came in September of 2024, 10 months before the July 13 fire that left ten residents dead and others injured. Fire Systems, Inc. called and emailed Gabriel House offering to replace the recalled sprinklers, but did not hear back from the facility, according to WCVB. According to a statement from Gabriel House spokesperson George Regan, Fire Systems, Inc “failed for years to properly inspect and test the sprinklers at Gabriel House, and failed — on a regular basis — to include in its inspection reports to Gabriel Care, Inc. … the deficiencies of the sprinklers, even deficiencies obvious to the trained eye, which required corrective action.” The statement also said that Fire Systems, Inc. certified no deficiencies in the system five days before the fire. Categories: Fall River, Massachusetts, News ...read more read less