Worcester firefighters Jerry Lucey and Danny Spencer, whose fathers died 20 years ago this month in the Worcester Cold Storage & Warehouse building fire, will appear with actor Denis Leary on the Rachael Ray show on Monday.
Lucey's father, Jeremiah, was a cousin of Leary's and Spencer's father, Thomas, was close friends with Leary, a Worcester native. Their fathers died on Dec. 3, 1999, fighting a fire along with fellow Worcester firefighters Paul Brotherton, Timothy Jackson, James Lyons and Joseph McGuirk.
Lucey and Spencer talk on the show taped Dec. 10 in New York City about why they decided to follow in the footsteps of their fathers and become Worcester firefighters.
"So it's not only a childhood dream," Lucey told Ray, "but you're also following (in) your father's footsteps, and that to any little boy or any little girl is huge."
"You hear these stories of our fathers," Spencer said on the show, "and, I mean, everyone's like, 'Oh great guys, great firefighters.' So you want to live up to that legacy."
Lucey and Spencer are close. Lucey was a groomsman at Spencer's wedding,
Leary chats with Ray about how the fire inspired him to launch his Leary Firefighters Foundation that has raised more than $2.5 million for fire departments in Worcester and across the nation for equipment and training. Ray serves on the foundation's board.
The show also details what happened the night of the fire and includes personal stories of some of the firefighters who were there that night.
The Rachael Ray show airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on NBC 10 Boston, channels 10 and 777 on Spectrum cable in Worcester.
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