Remembering Worcester’s Six, 18 Years Later
WorcesterMA.gov
It was 18 years ago today, 6 Worcester Firefighters lost their lives battling a huge 5 alarm fire at the former Worcester Cold Storage Building that was located at 266 Franklin Street.
The fire was started accidentally by two homeless people who were staying in the building and knocked over a candle. They left the scene without reporting the fire. The 6-story building, previously used as a meat cold storage facility, had no windows above the ground floor and no fire detection or suppression systems.
Today, 18 years later, we remember the lives of Fire Lieutenants Thomas Spencer, Timothy Jackson, Sr and James Lyons III as well as Firefighters Jeremiah Lucey, Paul Brotherton and Joseph McGuirk.
The site of the former warehouse building is now home to the Franklin Street Fire Station, which houses Engine 6, Ladder 1 and Rescue 1.
This facility, that opened in 2008, also includes a tribute to the six brave men who gave their lives in the line of duty. May the Worcester 6 always be remembered; “Fallen Heroes Never Forgotten.”
The Worcester Telegram & Gazette visited with retired Fire Lieutenant Don Courtney at the Saint-Gobain property and produced this video on some of the items that were left behind in the days and weeks following the fire.