BROCKTON – Nearly eight decades later, the Brockton Fire Department is remembering 13 firefighters who died in the line of duty.
A ceremony is being held on Friday at 10 a.m. at Brockton City Hall to observe the 78th anniversary of the Strand Theatre Fire. The ceremony is held each year around the anniversary of the fire, which resulted in one of the largest losses of life for firefighters in the history of the United States.
After a roof collapsed during the firefighting operation, 13 Brockton firefighters died while battling the Strand Theatre Fire on March 10, 1941. Outside of the World Trade Center collapse on 9/11, large wildfires and a ship explosion, the Strand Theatre fire is one of the top six deadliest incidents resulting in the loss of firefighter life in U.S. history, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
"Basically, we keep holding this memorial because firefighters never forget," said William Hill, president of the Brockton firefighters union, Local IAFF 144. "Similar to the tragedy at 9/11, the Brockton Fire Department and members of Local IAFF 144 will never forget the sacrifices of the firefighters that were killed or injured that day, as well as the families that were left behind."
Hill said the memorial ceremony on Friday will start inside City Hall, and will end with a wreath laying ceremony outside at the Brockton Firefighters Strand Theatre Fire Memorial statue. The memorial ceremony at Brockton City Hall will be followed by a reception held at 80 Perkins Ave., the John P. Keating Memorial Union Hall. The event will be attended by the Brockton firefighter and police honor guards, as well as the Brockton Firefighters Pipes & Drums group.
"The public is invited," Hill said. "We'll have a small, but respectful ceremony inside."
Each year, some descents of those 13 Brockton firefighters who were killed show up at the remembrance ceremony, Hill said.
"It still affects a lot of people," he said. "Every year we get family members, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I've heard stories passed down through familes. They still come out from all over."
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