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Worcester 10th Anniversary

Much has changed, and much remains the same, on the 10th anniversary of the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse Fire, the tragic 1999 blaze that claimed the lives of six Worcester, Mass. firefighters. The historic incident sparked safety assessments throughout the U.S. fire service, leaving a positive legacy on behalf of those killed: Paul A. Brotherton, Jeremiah M. Lucey, Joseph T. McGuirk, Timothy P. Jackson Sr., Thomas E. Spencer and James F. 'Jay' Lyons III.

Current News

It was fitting and proper that the 2009 Massachusetts Firefighter of the Year Award Ceremony was moved to Worcester from Boston this year as a way to acknowledge the 10th anniversary of the loss of the Worcester Six.

Like thunder rolling through a valley, the heavy beat of the pipe and drum brigade reverberated off buildings in downtown Worcester, advancing to the site.

Walter Giard is closing in on 40 years with the Worcester Fire Department and the last 10 have been his proudest. He has watched, and in many cases directed, the transformation of the department since the fire in the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co.  on Dec. 3, 1999.

A decade is a long time, but at the same time it seems like yesterday in Worcester. Some in the rank and file are ready to move on. Never forget the losses the department suffered on Dec. 3, 1999, but stay focused on the future.

Two major investigative reports were compiled following the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse Fire that claimed the lives of six firefighters on Dec. 3, 1999, giving insight into what happened on that tragic day.

It took a minute, a very long minute, for Retired District Fire Chief Mike McNamee to make a decision he would never forget, nor never regret.

 

The Fire: Dec. 3, 1999

 

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