When the deadly fire broke out Sunday night at Gabriel House in Fall River, Massachusetts, the assisted living facility had 70 residents and just two staff members working, according to the mayor and an employee.

The Massachusetts assisted-living facility where a fatal fire killed nine people was caring for dozens of aging residents reliant on wheelchairs and oxygen tanks, but it lacked the safety measures and most of the staffing requirements that are commonplace in nursing homes.

More than 75 percent of Gabriel House residents are enrolled in Medicaid, state officials have said, and it charges significantly less than a typical assisted living facility does for private-paying patients.

The Massachusetts assisted-living facility that caught fire Sunday evening was slated to undergo a recertification and compliance review process later this year.

A Massachusetts assisted-living center where nine residents died in a fire was cited for failing to immediately report more than two dozen health and safety incidents.

A former employee said she never saw the staff perform fire drills. The local fire chief pushed back at claims that dispatching more firefighters would’ve saved more lives.

Questions about Gabriel House living conditions and emergency preparedness continue to swirl following Sunday’s deadly fire.

The family of one of the victims from the Fall River assisted living home fire is anxiously awaiting updates on their loved one.

When a loved one is no longer able to safely live alone due to illness or frailty, assisted living offers a supportive environment with round-the-clock oversight and access to care, as well as comprehensive safety measures. These communities must comply with federal, state and local safety regulations.

River firefighters arrived at the scene Sunday to find some of the trapped residents screaming for help out of the windows.

A blaze at a Massachusetts assisted-living home Sunday killed a musician, a secretary, a veteran Army sharpshooter and six other people.