Local News

Worcester marks 25th anniversary of fire that killed 6 firefighters

The Worcester 6 died after entering a five-alarm blaze at the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse on Dec. 3, 1999.

The site of the former Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse building is now home to the Franklin Street Fire Station. A wreathe and flowers were placed in front in December. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe staff

By Molly Farrar

December 3, 2024

1 minute to read

At a memorial Tuesday night, the Worcester community will remember the six firefighters, known as the Worcester 6, who died in a fire 25 years ago at the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse.

The Worcester Fire Department and city officials including Mayor Joseph Petty and Chief Martin Dyer will speak at 6 p.m. at the former site of the warehouse on Franklin Street, which is now the Franklin Street Fire Station. The memorial will include a procession from Union Station to the Franklin Street Station, 21-gun salute, a band, a color guard, and an honor guard.

On Dec. 3, 1999, the Worcester 6 entered the abandoned warehouse in Worcester to save a homeless couple who they thought were inside during the massive fire.

Lt. Thomas Spencer, 42, Lt. Timothy Jackson Sr., 51, Lt. James Lyons III, 34, and firefighters Jeremiah Lucey 38, Paul Brotherton, 41, and Joseph McGuirk, 38, didn’t make it out of the building.

Worcester 6’s legacy includes their sons

At the memorial, the six will be honored with a memorial wreath. Family members of the six will attend, according to the city. As of 2019, five of Brotheron’s six sons, Spencer’s son, and Lucey’s son all served with the WFD, the Associated Press previously reported.

A Dec. 4, 1999 file photo shows firefighters spraying water onto the general-alarm fire scene at the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. in Worcester, Mass., where six Worcester firefighters lost their lives. – (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

The Worcester 6’s legacy include The Leary Firefighters Foundation, which was created by actor Denis Leary, the cousin of Lucey and a childhood friend of Spencer, according to the AP.

The fire also set a precedent for criminal charges. The couple who admitted to starting the fire during an argument escaped, but did not report the flames to the fire department despite having the means to. They even stopped to browse at a record store, The Boston Globe reported. They were both charged with involuntary manslaughter.

At Union Station, a pop-up exhibit at the Worcester 6 managed by retired firefighters will be available for viewing through 2 p.m. on Wednesday.