2 Firefighters Killed On Duty A Year Ago Honored In Boston
BOSTON (CBS/AP) — Two Boston firefighters killed fighting a wind-whipped fire a year ago have been honored in a ceremony at their firehouse.
Lt. Edward Walsh and Firefighter Michael Kennedy died March 26, 2014, when welding sparks caught a Back Bay brownstone on fire. The men were trapped in the basement of the building on Beacon Street.
Mayor Marty Walsh unveiled memorial plaques bearing the firefighters' names at the Back Bay station of Engine 33/Ladder 15.
Firefighters, family, friends and supporters gathered for the ceremony Sunday morning on Boylston Street.
"The pain and the sorrow and the anguish, even one year later, has really not abated for their families and for us," Engine 33 Capt. Jim Welch said.
Forty-three-year-old Walsh, the son of a firefighter, left a wife and three young children.
"The kids bring joy to my day and are truly Ed and that keeps him with me. Their smiles, expressions, he comes through them," Kristen Walsh, the widow of Edward Walsh said.
Thirty-three-year-old Kennedy, a Marine Corps veteran, was single.
"First on the scene, they rushed to danger, to the root of its fire to stop it at its source," Mayor Marty Walsh said. "They accepted responsibilty for our city's safety without hesitation."
Kristen Walsh said the outpouring of love from the community has eased the pain.
"The support that we've gotten from the entire city and from strangers has been pretty remarkable," she said. "That helps get us through."
The Walsh and Kennedy families have established foundations in their names.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe reports:
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