Assisted living fire with multiple fatalities a reminder to have evacuation plan, expert says

08/05/25 at 03:00 AM

Assisted living fire with multiple fatalities a reminder to have evacuation plan, expert says 
McKnights Senior Living; by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 7/15/25 
A five-alarm fire at a Massachusetts assisted living community in which nine people died and at least 30 were injured is a “realistic reminder” for senior living providers to make sure they have evacuation plans that are practiced and up to date, according to one expert. Stan Szpytek, president of Fire and Life Safety Inc. and a former deputy fire chief and fire marshal, told McKnight’s Senior Living that he was “horrified” to see the death toll, adding that multiple fatalities in buildings equipped with properly working fire suppression systems “has never occurred,” according to statistics from the National Fire Protection Association. ... “Smoke kills more people than fire does everyday in America,” Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said during a press conference.

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