Never forget: Worcester pays tribute to six firefighters who died in '99 Cold Storage blaze
WORCESTER — The six firefighters who perished in a massive warehouse blaze 24 years ago were remembered Sunday evening during a ceremony at the Franklin Street Fire Station.
The firefighters — Paul A. Brotherton, Timothy P. Jackson, Jeremiah M. Lucey II, James F. “Jay” Lyons III, Joseph T. McGuirk and Thomas E. Spencer — died the night of Dec. 3, 1999, when flames swallowed the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. building.
The anniversary of the fire is marked each year with a ceremony at a memorial at the fire station, built on the former site of the warehouse.
After reenacting the harrowing call of “reported building fire” at 266 Franklin St. followed by a deafening moment of silence, Rev. Jonathan Slavinskas, the Fire Department chaplain, delivered a prayer to the rain-soaked, heavy-hearted mourners that came out to pay respects and to always remember.
“We thank you for their light in which they lived as they journeyed in this world and served our city as firefighters,” Rev. Slavinskas said. “May their lives, may their light, may their memory, forever be etched in our hearts and we always have gratitude for the service that they have provided.”
As the hard rain continued to come down, Lt. Danny Spencer and Lt. Brian Brotherton, the sons of fallen firefighters Lt. Thomas E. Spencer and Paul A. Brotherton, respectively, were outside the Franklin Street Fire Station when they got mobbed by the television and print media eager for a soundbite.
With his 7-year-old daughter Maisy by his side, Lt. Spencer, who was more comfortable addressing the press (and just minutes earlier placed a wreath down at the memorial with his daughter), called the spot that his father and five of his fellow firefighters lost their lives “sacred ground.”
Lt. Spencer said he was amazed that the community comes out to honor their fathers year after year and continues to do so, now for 24 years.
“It’s wonderful to bring our kids now to, kind of, see it as well, and to introduce them to it,” Lt. Spencer said, with his daughter by his side. “For each and all of us, every year, it’s, kind of, another year going forward with it and moving forward with our time on the job and time without them.”
Lt. Spencer said it’s important to keep the memory of the “Worcester 6” alive.
When asked about his father, Lt. Spencer said he left the job that he loved behind at the fire station.
“When he came and did his job here, and, then, when he came home, he never really talked about it,” Lt. Spencer said. “He was just big with family. That is what he focused on at the house. So that is what I remember most. This is, kind of, second nature to the job for me.”
Lt. Brotherton, who stood silently next to Lt. Spencer as he talked to the media, got roped into talking to the press.
“We’re always working and we like what we do. And, we’re proud of our fathers,” Lt. Brotherton said, uncomfortably addressing the media. “We keep the legacy alive and we do what we like to do, just like you guys.”
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester pays tribute to 6 firefighters who died in Cold Storage blaze
