Police, fire, and EMS crews worked to rescue residents as smoke and flames spread through Gabriel House Assisted Living Facility in the heart of the city.

The scene outside Gabriel House, the assisted living facility that saw a deadly fire over the weekend, was solemn Wednesday, as mourners placed flowers and lit candles, some praying, others standing silently, some imagining the scene over the weekend that left nine residents dead.

Investigators are looking into a number of issues including the possibility that the fire was caused by smoking near an oxygen tank.

"Thank you, Detective Monteiro, for reminding us all what service with compassion truly looks like," Fall River Police wrote in a social media post.

The city is taking a significant step closer to meeting the national standard for firefighters working at a given time.

There’s no doubt in my mind that that fire was destined to kill 50-plus people,” Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said Wednesday.

A blaze at a Massachusetts assisted-living home Sunday killed a musician, a secretary, a veteran Army sharpshooter and six other people. Some in her family say Gabriel House wasn’t