Assisted-living fire spurs dueling sprinkler lawsuits
Inspector Fire Systems Inc. and Gabriel House owner Dennis Etzkorn have filed dueling lawsuits over responsibility for a faulty sprinkler system at the Massachusetts assisted-living facility where a July 2025 fire killed 10 residents. FSI says it alerted the facility in Sept. 2024 to recalled sprinkler heads, while the owner’s Dec. 8 cross-claim alleges FSI failed for years to properly inspect and even certified no deficiencies as recently as July 8, 2025, five days before the fire.
📌 Key Facts
- FSI alleges it identified recalled sprinkler heads at Gabriel House in September 2024.
- Gabriel House says FSI certified no sprinkler deficiencies in Feb., Apr., and July 8, 2025.
- The July 2025 fire killed 10 people, the state’s deadliest in more than 40 years; the cross-claim was filed Dec. 8, 2025.
📊 Relevant Data
Approximately 1,896 fires occur annually in residential board and care facilities, including assisted living, in the United States.
Federal oversight of assisted living back in the spotlight in wake of deadly Massachusetts fire — McKnight's Senior Living
70 percent of assisted living residents in the US are women, and 50 percent are 85 years old or older, with the majority being non-Hispanic White.
2025 Senior Living Statistics — SeniorLiving.org
Black Americans represented 13 percent of the overall US population but 24 percent of all home fire deaths.
Data shows that fatality rate from residential fires nearly twice national average among Black Americans — Smart Cities Dive
Sprinklers operated effectively in 92 percent of fires in properties with sprinklers from 2015 to 2019, reducing civilian death rates by 88 percent in home fires.