March 27--It could be weeks, if not longer, before investigators determine the cause of yesterday's devastating Back Bay fire that claimed the lives of two Boston firefighters, officials said today.
Boston Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald said the destruction was so great that officials will only today be able to start making their way into the rubble.
"Today's really the first day that we'll be able to get in," he said. "As for the cause, nothing's been ruled in or out."
Most of the 13 firefighters injured in the blaze have been released from hospitals, MacDonald said. They suffered burns and broken bones, but no life-threatening injuries.
This morning, grateful and grief-stricken Bay Staters coursed to Engine Company 33, Ladder 15 in the Back Bay this morning to pay their respects to the two firefighters and their comrades.
With a bouquet of lilac carnations in his arms and tears streaming down his cheeks, veteran Somerville firefighter Earl Johnson knelt in front of the firehouse and prayed.
"They're my brothers," Johnson said of the Hub's fallen heroes Lt. Edward Walsh and firefighter Michael Kennedy, who perished in the Beacon Street brownstone inferno.
A sidewalk memorial outside the historic firehouse, which sits like a castle in the heart of Copley Square, has already amassed cards, a Boston Strong ball cap and a MIT police patch.
A steady stream of people who work and live in the neighborhood this morning filed in to offer food, hugs and thanks to the comrades of the fallen men. Some also bring toys for Walsh's three children.
Johnson didn't know Walsh and Kennedy, but said, "I probably met them in battle or at other firefighters' funerals. I just wanted to give back."
Dave Stewart, an EMT with Cataldo Ambulance, was among those paying their respects.
"Doing the right thing here," Stewart said of why he felt drawn to make the trip in the brutal cold. "We're all here to help."
Heartbroken jakes at the old brick firehouse, home to about 40 firefighters since 1887, quietly greeted visitors but declined to talk about the tragedy. Shortly before 9 a.m., they came outside to raise black bunting over the vast garage doorway.
Walsh, 43, of West Roxbury and Kennedy, 33, of Hyde Park were among the first at the scene of the fire. They died battling an explosive, wind-fueled, nine-alarm blaze that destroyed a century-old eight-unit Back Bay brownstone.
Authorities will meet with the families later today to begin discussing funeral preparations. MacDonald said he expects services will be held next week but a date has not been determined.
The deaths rocked the city, and moved many to pay tribute. MacDonald said the department has been hearing from firefighters around the world.
The outpouring of support has been "tremendous and very heartfelt," he said.
"These brave men gave their lives in the line of duty, putting the public safety ahead of their own interests," said Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley in a statement. " As a community we come together in this time of loss, offering our support and our prayers to the Walsh and Kennedy families and to their fellow firefighters."
"The people of Boston have a simple charge today -- remember the sacrifice of Lieutenant Walsh and Firefighter Kennedy," City Councilor Josh Zakim, who represents the neighborhood, said in a statement this morning. "Their heroism and professionalism, both which stood tall in the face of unimaginable circumstances, is staggering. I join all of Boston, reverently, respectfully, and extend our thoughts and prayers to the families, friends and comrades left behind. What our firefighters do for us -- how can we ever repay that debt?"
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