Sprinklers To Blame In Catastrophic West Chester Fire: Attorneys

WEST CHESTER, PA — Attorneys for the victims of the catastrophic blaze at a senior care center in West Chester have blamed the facility's sprinkler system for the deaths of four residents, they said during a press conference on Tuesday.

Officials have not yet released an official cause of the blaze which tore through Barclay Friends Senior Center overnight on Nov. 16, sending residents and staff out into the cold while hundreds of neighbors and first responders fought the flames and tried to rescue disabled residents. Authorities said that there would be a press conference updating the public on the investigation last week, but that never occurred. When reached Wednesday night, officials did not comment directly on allegations made by the families of the victims.

“While we cannot address specific statements or questions about particular aspects of the investigation raised today, we can say that we are at a critical stage of our investigation.” ATF Special Agent in Charge Donald Robinson said in a statement issued on Wednesday night. "The investigative agencies are united in wanting to make sure that we have all possible data before presenting the families, and then the public, with the results of our investigation."

Among the victims were 92-year-old Delores G. Parker and 88-year-old Thomas F. Parker, who were husband and wife. Two other women, Mildred E. Gadde, Theresa J. Malloy, were also confirmed dead. Their cause of death was listed as smoke inhalation.

Three of the children of Malloy, 85, were joined by their attorney Robert J. Mongeluzzi at the press conference in Center City on Wednesday. They said that their "overriding objective" in pursuing justice for their mother was to make sure that something like the November fire never occurs again.

Mongeluzzi said that there have been "various accounts" that the facility sprinkler system did not activate after the blaze began.

“From what we now know, Barclay Friends failed in its obligation to protect this wonderful woman," he said.

Barclay spokesperson Colleen Ryan Mallon also did not comment directly on the allegations.

"We are taking the information shared by representatives of one of our families seriously," Mallon said Wednesday. "As this is an active investigation, we cannot provide additional information. We continue to grieve for the families that lost loved ones in the fire, while also working to support the residents, families and staff members of the Barclay Friends community that have been displaced."

During the press conference held by members of Malloy's family, they described making the difficult decision to move their mother into assisted living just 15 days before the fire.

"Mom was fiercely independent her whole life and we respected that independence, which is why when it came time to look for a suitable senior living facility, it was important that it was a place where we knew she’d not only be happy, but, above all, be protected," her son, Martin Malloy, said. "And now we’re struggling for answers to the most basic questions: Why wasn’t she protected, how could this have happened in what was supposed to be an excellent place?"

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is heading up the investigation, and is joined by local officials and other national experts and agencies.

A report published late last week by Philly.com pointed to a lack of water pressure for firefighters battling the blaze as something that may have compounded the issue.

A total of 137 residents and 15 staff members were inside the home when the blaze began. A total of 133 of those residents were saved.

Malloy's family said they toured the wreckage at the blaze just before the press conference on Wednesday and tried to imagine their mother's final moments.

"Our sheer panic did not come close to that which our mother must have experienced in the time leading up to her death," said Malloy's daughter, Mary Dimaio. "You can’t begin to imagine - and I hope you never have to - what we felt and continue to feel."

For more information about the fire, see Patch's previous coverage below:

>>Remains Of Final 2 Victims Of Fire Found In Rubble In West Chester

>>4 Unaccounted For After Fire At West Chester Senior Home

>>Community Rallies After Devastating West Chester Fire

>>Massive Fire Destroys Pennsylvania Senior Living Facility: Video

Photo credit: Pete Bannan/Daily Local News via AP; WPVI-TV via AP