A small crowd gathers during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Van Tassel warehouse fire on Sunday, April 3, 2022 at Norwich Fire Headquarters.
Sunday marked the 60th anniversary of the Van Tassel Warehouse fire and explosion that claimed the lives of four Norwich firefighters. When units responded to the call of a truck fire on April 3, 1962 at the warehouse they were met with a massive explosion and fireball which engulfed four firefighters and two firetrucks. Several other firefighters and Van Tassel employees were injured. The blast destroyed the warehouse, shook the city, shattered windows and cracked walls in the surrounding area.
"It seems like it was just yesterday," said Thomas LaFreniere who was the lieutenant in charge at the scene that day. "I think about those guys every day."
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