WORCESTER, Mass. — An emotional night in Worcester marked the 25th anniversary of the deadly Cold Storage fire that claimed the lives of six Worcester firefighters.
Hundreds lined Franklin Street Tuesday night for a special procession - the same street where firefighters rushed into the Cold Storage and Warehouse building on December 3, 1999.
Known as the “Worcester 6,” Lieutenants Thomas Spencer and James Lyons and firefighters Timothy Jackson, Paul Brotherton, Jeremiah Lucey and Joseph McGuirk died while battling the fire at the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. building on Dec. 3, 1999.
The six fallen firefighters lost their lives while looking for homeless people believed to be trapped inside the inferno at the abandoned warehouse at 266 Franklin Street.
“These men have been missed at the big moments like weddings, graduations, and birthdays and the small moments like bedtimes, soccer games and family dinners,” said Worcester City Manager Eric Batista. “Their children many barely teenagers or younger, when the fire hit, now have children of their own.”
The Franklin Street fire station now stands at the site of that deadly fire – where city leaders and firefighters laid a wreath for each life lost.
The memory still haunts those who responded that day – like retired district chief Robert DeFusco.
“Even at that they didn’t stop not one second, nobody backed up, they were literally crawling over each other to get in,” said Robert DeFusco.
“The memories you have of it is all about love, because that’s what we did as firefighters,” said retired firefighter Jack Toney.
Firefighters were brought to tears reliving that horrific day – but also thankful for all the love and support they received from across the country.
“It brings back memories for us good and bad, the hardest time we ever went through in the department and the way the community and the country reached out for us it was overwhelming and humbling,” said retired lt. Brian Corrigan.
The Worcester fire chief says the memory of these firefighters lives on at this fire station every day and because of the fire, training has been changed for firefighters across the country.
Beginning Monday through Wednesday, a pop-up exhibit will be on display at Union Station at 2 Washington Square.
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