DAVE J. IANNONE
Firehouse.Com Editor

WORCESTER, Mass. -- It started simply last weekend. Someone, perhaps a child, placed flowers on an engine parked on the scene of the Worcester Cold Storage warehouse.

Now, a week after the box alarm was sounded, it remains on the scene as a shrine to the firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice on Friday, Dec. 3, searching first for homeless people reportedly trapped inside, then for their own comrades.

Pictures don't tell half the story. On Sunday, some children (top left) placed a wreath on the unit. A handful of flowers and other items were there, but no one could have imagined what it would be like days later.

By Wednesday night, it was hard to tell exactly what was under the incredible barrage of flowers, toy fire trucks, personal cards and letters, posters by school children, uniform shirts and more. Photos of the victims, with notes from loved ones ... copies of newspaper articles cut out ... black ribbons.

A firefighter from Rochester, N.H., moved to tears on the scene, ripped the patch off his uniform shirt following Thursday's memorial service and placed it among the other tributes. Another hung his dress uniform coat from the driver's side mirror.

Mothers held their children. Average citizens wept openly for six men they never met. Firefighters prayed. An endless parade of people from near and far made their way to the scene throughout the week, especially Wednesday and Thursday.

They watched as a crane knocked down more parts of a wall and firefighters sifted through the rubble; as media surrounded a District Chief giving the latest update ... but their attention was drawn to Engine 7. They made their way down the closed street and up a small flight of stairs across from the diner. There they stopped to remember, honor and praise the six brave men.

Some said they reflected on the true meaning of giving during this season traditional for it. Some stopped to thank the firefighters that were on the scene from around the country. Thank them for coming to Worcester ... thank them for being firefighters.

''Our 5-year-old son wanted to give this to you,'' read one note, taped to a toy fire engine. ''Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. You are truly heroes to everyone.''

The note was signed, in a child's scrawl, from Kevin Jacques.

''Dear firefighters, I'm sorry that you lost your friends'' read an unsigned note in a child's hand. ''I feel really sad about it and I hope you firefighters have a happy, merry Christmas.''

Meanwhile, from within the engine, the radio still crackled with voices of firefighters ... firefighters still searching less than 50 yards away for their four brothers still missing inside the warehouse.

Until they are found, the engine is surely to disappear further behind thousands of flower pedals and tributes befitting true heroes.