On Oct. 16, 2026, forty‑five members of the Fall River Fire Department were presented with bravery medals in the auditorium of Kuss Middle School. The ceremony honored their rescue of fifty‑three residents during the July 12, 2025 fire at the Gabriel House assisted‑living facility, a blaze that caused ten deaths.
The Gabriel House fire was one of the deadliest incidents in Massachusetts, resulting in ten fatalities and dozens of injuries, and it prompted a large‑scale response by Fall River firefighters.