Boston Honors Fallen Firefighters Five Years Later

Flowers draped in front of 298 Beacon Street are memorializing two Boston firefighters who died as they battled a wind-fueled blaze there five years ago Tuesday.

Fire Lt. Edward Walsh of Engine Co. 33 and Firefighter Michael Kennedy of Ladder Co. 15, were killed March 26, 2014, fighting a nine-alarm fire. Their Boylston Street firehouse is planning on having a moment of silence to commemorate their sacrifice Tuesday.

Pink and white flowers hung from the tree outside the steps of the building, with two white ribbons inscribed with the fallen firefighters’ names. A wreath of red flowers with a black ribbon also hung on the first floor, a small memorial for Walsh and Kennedy.

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“The members of Engine 33 and Ladder 15 would like to thank everyone for the support and kind gestures we have received as we reflect on the 5th year anniversary of the Beacon Street fire,” one captain said in a statement to the Herald. “Please keep the Walsh and Kennedy families in your prayers as we remember the wonderful lives Ed and Michael led.”

The fire was started by two workers with D&J Iron Works of Malden who were welding a wrought-iron railing, sending sparks onto a rotted wooden shed behind the Beacon Street brownstone, the Herald previously reported. Engine 33 and Ladder 15 were first on scene, and their crews went inside after being told there might be someone trapped in the basement. But strong winds fueled the fire, which burned through their hose, cutting off their water pressure before trapping them inside.

The fire department will stage a larger ceremony for the two firefighters on April 18, where they will dedicate a tree and a plaque in honor of Walsh and Kennedy.

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