Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire
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The Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire was a fire that occurred on December 3, 1999, in Worcester, Massachusetts. It started when the two homeless people living inside, Thomas S. Levesque (37) and Julie Ann Barnes (19), knocked over a candle after an argument earlier that afternoon and never reported the fire. The fire was in an abandoned cold storage warehouse five blocks east of the downtown business district, near the Union Station train station. It eventually would go to five alarms and raged for six days before being brought under control. Fire companies from throughout the city and neighboring towns were called in.
Due to reports that homeless persons were possibly inside, fire rescue personnel began a search of the six-story building. The firefighters' task was made extremely difficult by the large size of the building's interior and by the highly flammable composition of its interior insulation. Over nearly a century's use, the interior walls were progressively covered with various forms of insulating materials, including cork inpregnated with tar, polystyrene, and polyurethane foam, to a thickness of 18 inches of highly combustible material. Once ignited, the huge amount of fuel, fed initially by the large volume of air in the building, became virtually inextinguishable. The six-story building's exterior walls were constructed of approximately 18 inches of brick and mortar, with no windows above the second-floor level. The lack of available windows prevented firefighting personnel from making an accurate initial assessment of the fire. Initial breaching of lower-floor doors, combined with venting the building by smashing a roof skylight which resided over an elevator shaft, effectively turned the building into a huge chimney. With the fire rapidly accelerating out of control, rescue teams facing near-zero visibility became lost, with available breathing oxygen depeleted. Despite repeated radio calls for help, along with activation of audible location alarms, six firefighters, who have since became known as the Worcester 6, perished in the blaze.[1]
Services for the firefighters were held in the DCU Center (then called the Worcester Centrum Centre). The funeral procession was broadcast on several national news networks and was attended by Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and Edward Kennedy. City leaders plan to erect a memorial to the Six in Institute Park, behind the Grove Street fire station. A new fire station is planned for the space formerly occupied by the cold storage facility.
Charges against Levesque and Barnes were later dismissed.
The building's owners were not charged.
Contents |
[edit] Timeline
| Time | Incident |
|---|---|
| 18:13 | The first alarm was dispatched. |
| 18:14 | Engine 1 arrived on location reporting they had heavy smoke showing. |
| 18:17 | Car 3 requests the 2nd alarm be struck. |
| 18:20 | Ladder 1 reported fire on the second floor, and had multiple 2-1/2" lines being put in service for the suppression efforts. |
| 18:24 | Fire alarm tells command that they have a report that a citizen told a police officer that "may be two people that live in that building." |
| 18:32 | Car 3 asks Rescue 1 if they've checked on the rumor of the two homeless people. Rescue 1 reports they have made a preliminary search, and haven't found anyone. |
| 18:40 | Car 2 requests the 3rd alarm be struck. |
| 18:46 | Rescue 1 reports to command that they are lost on the fourth floor and they are running out of air. |
| 18:47 | Rescue 1 calls Fire Alarm asking them to clear the air, and they have an emergency. |
| 18:47 | The Fire Alarm dispatcher sounds the alert tones. |
| 18:52 | Car 2 requests the 4th alarm be struck and Chief B. be notified. |
| 18:53 | Car 3 directs Rescue 1 to activate the PASS devices to aid the other companies in locating them. |
| 18:55 | "They are activated," referring to the PASS devices. This is the last audible transmission from Rescue 1. |
| 19:04 | Ladder 2/Portable 2 asks Portable 1 his location. Portable 1 replies "Good question." They are now lost with Engine 3 on the fifth floor. |
| 19:08 | Ladder 2 requests for the Chief to send a crew to the stairwell and yell, so they can find it. They also report they are running low on air. |
| 19:15 | "Ladder 2 to command we're done..." This is the last transmission of the four man search team from Ladder 2/Engine 3. |
| 19:26 | Car 1 requests the 5th alarm be struck. |
| Millbury Fire went mutual aid to the scene. They brought a Thermal Imaging camera with them. This was to be used in assisting the firefighters locate the missing firefighters. | |
| 19:53 | Car 4 reports the thermal imager has stopped working. |
| 19:58 | Car 3 signals for all companies to evacuate the building. |
[edit] The firefighters
| Rank | Name | Age | Hometown | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firefighter | Paul Brotherton | 41 | Auburn, MA | Rescue 1 |
| Firefighter | Jeremiah Lucey | 38 | Leicester, MA | Rescue 1 |
| Lieutenant | Thomas Spencer | 42 | Worcester, MA | Ladder 2 |
| Firefighter | Timothy Jackson | 51 | Hopedale, MA | Ladder 2 |
| Firefighter | James Lyons | 34 | Worcester, MA | Engine 3 |
| Firefighter | Joseph McGuirk | 38 | Worcester, MA | Engine 3 |
[edit] Reference
- US Fire Administration Official *Report[1]
- Telegram & Gazette - Worcester, MA[2]
- Firehouse.com's information page[3]
- Flynn, Sean; 3000 Degrees: The True Story of a Deadly Fire and the Men Who Fought It, New York: Warner Books, 2002. ISBN 0446528315
