Updated: Friday, December 10, 1999 - 6:45 AM
Firefighters Remembered in Worcester
Also See: Thousands Honor Fallen Heroes and Video from the Memorial Service, Procession
and Scene
Note: New stories, first-hand reports -- and many additional photos in our Worcester slide show -- will be added Friday afternoon. Please
check back then.
TOM KIRCHOFER
Associated Press Writer
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) -- With six shiny yellow fire helmets placed at the stage of a packed concert arena, six firefighters who died in a warehouse blaze were honored as fallen heroes Thursday by thousands of their brethren from around the world.
AP World Wide Photos/Paul Connors
Firefighters from across the world walk in a procession Thursday, Dec. 9, 1999, on their way to a memorial service honoring six Worcester, Mass., firefighters who were killed in a warehouse fire Friday night.
|
|
``Most cities have one hero. The city of Worcester was blessed with six,'' said Frank Raffa, president of the local firefighters union, quoting a handwritten sign along the procession route.
To the mournful sounds of drum taps and bagpipes, a three-mile stream of 30,000 firefighters marched solemnly through the city, past flag-waving crowds and the stations where the six men were assigned, en route to the two-hour memorial service. Many mourners couldn't get past the doors of the 15,000-seat Worcester Centrum.
Schools, municipal offices and most businesses in this blue-collar city of 170,000 were closed for one of the biggest firefighter memorials the country has ever seen. President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore were among the guests at the ceremony, 30 miles west of Boston.
On tables right in front of the stage, the fire helmets were placed next to photographs of the firefighters _ Joseph T. McGuirk, 38; James F. Lyons III, 34; Lt. Thomas E. Spencer, 42; Timothy P. Jackson, 51; Paul A. Brotherton, 41; and Jeremiah M. Lucey, 38.
AP World Wide Photos/Ron Edmonds
President Clinton, center, stands with his hand to his heart at the entry of an honor guard Thursday morning, Dec. 9, 1999, during a memorial service in Worcester, Mass. Thousands of mourners honored six Worcester firefighters who died in a warehouse fire last Friday. Left to right, next to Clinton, are: Boston Cardinal Bernard Law, International Association of Fire Fighters (cq.) president Alfred Whitehead, Worcester firefighter Frank Raffa and U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.
.
|
|
``Too often we take them for granted, our firefighters,'' Clinton told the crowd. ``In the days ahead, I hope every American will find an occasion to thank those in their communities who stand ready every day to put their lives on the line when the alarm bell rings.''
Each of the dead firefighters' families was presented with a folded American flag and a medal of honor, a tribute reserved for those who died bravely in the line of duty. The men left behind five wives and 17 children.
As Sen. John Kerry handed over a flag, Lyons' father _ James F. Lyons Jr. _ buried his face in the fabric, heaving with sobs. Later, Denise Brotherton, one of the new widows, gently wiped a tear from her young son's face.
Clinton and Gore also met privately with the families. ``There were a lot more smiles and remembrances than tears,'' Clinton spokesman Joe Lockhart said. ``As he went around, each of them had a story to tell him to remember their loved ones by.''
A homeless couple allegedly started the blaze in the abandoned warehouse last Friday night by knocking over a candle during an argument. They are charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Two of the firemen were killed after going in to see whether any homeless people were inside. They became engulfed in black smoke and radioed a distress call. The four others died coming to their rescue.
It was the worst loss of firefighters' lives in a building fire in America in 20 years.
AP World Wide Photos/Paul Connors
A firefighter bows his head near Engine 7, which has been showered with flowers, cards, toys, uniform items, messages and more in memory of the six fallen firefighters. The engine is parked near the scene of Friday's warehouse fire and has become a shrine for the family, friends and the community to pay their respects.
|
|
Six days after the fire, the sharp smell of smoke still hung in the air. Hundreds of firefighters who couldn't fit into the arena went instead to the site of the blaze, which they now call ``sacred ground.'' Gore also went to the site to pay tribute.
Big televisions were set up outside the warehouse to show the service to the fire crews who stayed behind to search for the last four firefighters' bodies in the ruins. Fires continued to flare up from the burned-out building.
``We're all hurting,'' Raffa said at the ceremony. ``But we're driven by one desire. We will not give up. We will not leave the scene. We will not rest until we bring our brothers home.''
Thousands of firefighters came from Australia, Ireland, Nova Scotia, Montreal, Seattle, Honolulu, Kansas City, Mo., and all over the Northeast to pay their respects.
Gerard Woods arrived from Dublin, Ireland, along with five of his fellow firemen. ``It's a brotherhood,'' he said. ``We all support each other and this is such a tragic event. The support is universal. It goes throughout the world.''
A special Amtrak train carried more than 1,000 firefighters from neighboring Connecticut, and at least four full buses headed up from New York City.
AP World Wide Photos/Elise Amendola
An unidentified young girl embraces an older woman, seated in the family area,Thursday, Dec. 9, 1999 in Worcester, Mass., as thousands gathered for a memorial service for six Worcester firefighters who died in a warehouse fire last Friday.
|
|
The procession marched to the beat of drums and the wail of bagpipes playing ``Minstrel Boy'' and ``Blue Bells of Scotland,'' odes to fallen heroes, ``Scotland the Brave,'' and the Marine Corps Hymn.
Along the route, sometimes two and three people deep, children and adults waved miniature American flags. One child held a homemade drawing that said: ``Good-bye fallen hero's. I'm so sorry.''
The names of the dead will be carved into a memorial wall for fallen firefighters in Colorado Springs, Colo.
``We must recognize the transcending goodness of their actions,'' Bishop Daniel Reilly said at the memorial service. ``Love like theirs, heroism like theirs, sacrifice like theirs, cannot go unrewarded.''
Related Stories Online:
|
