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Pair of Buffalo, New York Firefighters Killed in Collapse at 3-Alarm Fire
Listen to the Fireground Audio
• Buffalo 3 Alarm LODD Fire Dispatch/Ops
• Buffalo 3 Alarm LODD Fire Dispatch/Ops
Funeral Arrangements
Mass
Lt. Charles McCarthy
St. Joseph Cathedral - Franklin St.
Friday - August 28 - 9:30 a.m.
Viewing: Thursday, August 27th, 2:00pm – 8:00pm
James Cannan Funeral Home
3155 Orchard Park Road
Orchard Park, NY 14127
Service
Firefighter Jonathan Croom
St. Joseph Cathedral - Franklin St.
Friday - August 28 - 1:00 p.m.
Viewing: Thursday, August 27th, 2:00pm -8:00 pm
Amigone Funeral Home
1132 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14209
Lt. Charles "Chip" McCarthy & Firefighter Jonathan Croom
Firefighters Remove Fallen Bravest
Raw Video from the Scene
Buffalo firefighters salute as they remove bodies of fellow firefighters from a building after a fire in Buffalo, N.Y., Monday, Aug. 24, 2009. The first floor of a burning convenience store collapsed into the basement early Monday morning, killing two firefighters. (AP Photo/ David Duprey)
Fire Commissioner Mike Lombardo: Firefighters Missing
Associated Press Writer
Two firefighters -- one searching for a person reported to be trapped and the other responding to a mayday call -- plunged through the collapsed first floor of a burning building and died early Monday.
Rescue crews tried repeatedly to get to the two fallen firefighters, but were beaten back by fire and further collapses inside the corner brick building, Commissioner Michael Lombardo said.
The first firefighter to fall through the floor, Lt. Charles "Chip" McCarthy, was a 22-year veteran of the Buffalo Fire Department who was assigned to a team whose members are trained to find and free trapped victims.
He had depleted one oxygen tank, came out to replace it and then re-entered the building just before the accident happened, said firefighter Vincent Gugliuzza, vice president of Local 282, Buffalo Professional Firefighters Association.
He pressed a distress button on his radio and radioed for help, saying, "Basement, I'm in the basement," said Daniel Cunningham, president of the firefighters union.
Firefighter Jonathan Croom, who was working on his scheduled day off, responded to McCarthy's mayday call and also fell through the collapsed floor, Cunningham said.
Firefighters continued to search the building Monday afternoon but had not yet determined whether anyone else was still inside, officials said.
The fire at the Super Speedy deli in a working-class neighborhood on the city's east side was reported just before 4 a.m. Flag-draped stretchers carrying the bodies were brought out of the two-story building shortly before 10 a.m. as fellow firefighters, some saluting, lined up and took off their helmets. Weeping and distraught people believed to be relatives had been escorted from the scene moments earlier.
Firefighters were still pouring water on the gutted building hours after the blaze began. The fire's cause was under investigation.
McCarthy was a 45-year-old married father of three. Croom, 34, had been in the department for 10 years and leaves behind a fiance and the couple's 9-month-old child. He was working on overtime on his day off to cover a staffing shortage, Cunningham said.
The two were among the first firefighters on the scene, Lombardo said.
"The hearts of the Buffalo Fire Department are broken," said Lombardo, who knew both of the victims. "This is a family and we lost two members of our family today."
The last Buffalo firefighter killed in the line of duty was 31-year-old Michael Seguin, who died July 4, 1997, when a roof collapsed during a house fire.
The last time more than one Buffalo firefighter died in the line of duty was on Dec. 27, 1983, when five firefighters were killed in a propane tank explosion at a warehouse _ the worst loss of life in the department's 129-year history.
"I've been on 36 years and seen every situation happen. We still do what we have to do," said Fire Chief John McFeely. "It's always very, very tragic. The guys are so close together, but we've got a job to do. In another half an hour, if there's another fire down the street, we'll be there."
Related
- Fireground Audio: Buffalo 3 Alarm LODD Fire
- Buffalo News: 2 firefighters feared dead after fire in an East Side deli
- WIVB: Two firefighters die battling fire
- Buffalo Fire Department Web Site - BFD on Facebook
- FireGeezer.com: Double LODD in Buffalo
- STATter911: Recovery operations at commercial building fire
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ed on
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Our condlences to the families and to the Buffalo Fire Department for there Great loss
Denville twp vol Fire Department New Jersey
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Permalink Reply by William Finnelli on
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May they now rest in peace up, and continue to seve as as new guardian angels to us all. My thoughts and prayers to their familes.
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Permalink Reply by Robert T. Marchetti on
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On behalf of the Officers and Members of the Sugarloaf Fire Co., Inc. Sugarloaf Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, I would like to extend our most sincere condolences to the Families and the Buffalo Fire Department on the loss of these 2 Firefighters. May God Bless and comfort all in this time of Loss.
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Permalink Reply by Ed Cleavland on
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god bless them and there familys that fire is close to me and my dept and my prayers go out to the family
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Permalink Reply by joel ingebrigtsen on
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by the sounds of the story these firefighters gave the ultimate sacrifice! but now they are in the station upstairs fighting fires and pulling rescues. my thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the fallen and the fellow firefighters in the brotherhood. the loss is felt by all!!
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Permalink Reply by Dale Barker on
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Our thoughts and prayers are with our fellow brother Firefighters, their families and fellow firefighters across the Buffalo area. Keep your eyes to the sky, for they will never leave your thoughts as long as you remember them. Edwards Fire
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Permalink Reply by Burt Peterson on
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TO THE FAMILYS AND FIREFIGHTERS OF THE TWO BRAVE BUFFALO HEROS OUR PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU .
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Our prayers and thoughts go out to the families of our fallen brothers. Sorry for your loss. My heart hurts for all those involved. They gave the ultimate sacrifice just as our Lord and Savior did! "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) God Bless the BFD and their families.
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Permalink Reply by Russ Griffith on
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Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families, friends, and the department.
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Permalink Reply by steve price on
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THE FIREFIGHTER’S 23RD PSALM
THE LORD IS MY CHIEF HE HAS CHOSEN ME TO SERVE
HE LEADS ME TO STILL THE FIRES RAGING AROUND ME
HE RESTORES MY SOUL TO FIGHT EVEN WHEN ALL SEEMS LOST
HE HAS PREPARED FOR ME A PLACE IN LIFE DEDICATED TO SERVICE, HONOR, JOY
AND FELLOWSHIP
HE ANNOINTS MY SOUL WITH COURAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF MY ENEMY FIRE!
YES EVEN THOUGH I WALK THROUGH LIFE
IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH I WILL FEAR NO FIRE FOR HE IS WITH ME
HIS STRENGTH WILL COMFORT ME
AND WHEN LIFE’S FINAL ALARM SOUNDS
I WILL DWELL IN THE STATION HOUSE OF
THE LORD FOREVER
AMEN!
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Permalink Reply by Kirk D. Baughman on
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i'm very sad to hear that we lost two more of your bothers in the line of duty. i hope all the firefighters at the scene can recover from this. my pray's go's out to all the familys of these two firefighters.
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