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Very sad day in Massachusetts. Two firefighters, Lieutenant Edward Walsh, Jr. and Firefighter Michael Kennedy were lost yesterday fighting the Back Bay fire. The gusting nor'easter winds turned the fire from a one-alarm to a nine-alarm.
I always think back to the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire on December 3, 1999, when something like this happens. Six Worcester firefighters were trapped last night and never came out. It took a week to find the bodies in the rubble.
I was taking the train at the time to grad school in Boston and it was the 6 A.M. train. In the darkness of pre-dawn the searchlights were on while smoke curled up from the rubble and the only sound to be heard several yards away was the skritch-skritch-skritch of the rakes used to look for the bones and ashes. No other sound could be heard. Smoke hung over downtown for days. The highway was partially closed for search equipment and the streets were clogged with drivers usually on the highway. The police had to direct traffic for a week.
Yesterday's fire caught the Boston Fire Department by surprise (the wind). An interesting note: Tom Brady of the New England Patriots lives four doors down and was an eyewitness and gave some interesting insights. He's well aware of who the real heroes are in this life.
I always think back to the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire on December 3, 1999, when something like this happens. Six Worcester firefighters were trapped last night and never came out. It took a week to find the bodies in the rubble.
I was taking the train at the time to grad school in Boston and it was the 6 A.M. train. In the darkness of pre-dawn the searchlights were on while smoke curled up from the rubble and the only sound to be heard several yards away was the skritch-skritch-skritch of the rakes used to look for the bones and ashes. No other sound could be heard. Smoke hung over downtown for days. The highway was partially closed for search equipment and the streets were clogged with drivers usually on the highway. The police had to direct traffic for a week.
Yesterday's fire caught the Boston Fire Department by surprise (the wind). An interesting note: Tom Brady of the New England Patriots lives four doors down and was an eyewitness and gave some interesting insights. He's well aware of who the real heroes are in this life.
