Local fire departments and Boston-area residents and their families are remembering nine firefighters killed in the line of duty during a massive hotel fire more than five decades ago.
Saturday marked the 51st anniversary of the fire at the Hotel Vendome on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston on June 17, 1972.
Nine firefighters died in the Back Bay fire, which remains the “largest line-of-duty fatality incident in the history of the Boston Fire Department,” according to the Boston Fire Historical Society. Eight firefighters were also injured.
“RIP brothers. Remember them, their families’ sacrifices and our public safety family,” the Cambridge Fire Department said in a tweet Saturday morning.
Hotel Vendome Fire, Boston – Remember those nine brave Boston firefighters who died in the line of duty fighting the fire at the Hotel Vendome on June 17, 1972, Boston Box 4-1571.
RIP brothers. Remember them, their families’ sacrifices and our public safety family. pic.twitter.com/4PhkDMmImM
— Cambridge Fire Department (@CambridgeMAFire) June 17, 2023
On Saturday, a group of people gathered at a memorial for the nine fallen firefighters at Commonwealth Avenue Mall, where they laid a wreath of red and white flowers to remember the fallen.
The monument, located not far from the scene of the tragedy, was dedicated in 1997 on the 25th anniversary of the fire, according to the Boston Public Library.
“Today, the BFD remembered the 51st year since the fire at the Hotel Vendome where we lost 9 firefighters. Several relatives and friends of the lost came from near and far to share a moment of humility. … never forgotten,” the Boston Fire Department said in a tweet Saturday afternoon.
Few people were inside the Hotel Vendome when the fire broke out that day, due to major renovations underway at the historic hotel, according to the Boston Public Library. Built in 1871 as a luxury hotel, the building was being converted into a mixed-use, commercial condominium building when the fire occurred.
Firefighters responded to the hotel at 160 Commonwealth Avenue on Saturday afternoon after a worker noticed a fire between the third and fourth floors around 2:30 p.m. and alerted the fire department. firefighters, according to the Boston Public Library.
A total of 16 engine companies, five ladder companies, two aerial towers and one heavy rescue company responded to the 4-alarm fire, which was largely under control by 4:30 p.m., according to the Boston Public Library .
Today, the BFD remembered the 51st year since the fire at the Hotel Vendome where we lost 9 firefighters. Several relatives and friends of the lost came from near and far to share a moment of humility. … never forgotten… pic.twitter.com/Bnw1EmQWPg
— Boston Fire Department (@BostonFire) June 17, 2023
Around 5:30 p.m., several crews were cleaning up when the entire southeast corner of the 7-story building collapsed without warning, burying 25 firefighters and a ladder truck in a pile of debris, according to the Boston Public Library.
“Many firefighters operating on the upper floors were trapped in the resulting pile of debris,” the Boston Fire Historical Society states on its website.
Officials later determined that the cause of the fire was a combination of factors, including structural deficiencies in the building caused by the removal of a load-bearing wall during renovations in 1890, which “were exacerbated by the addition of a heating and ventilation duct in 1972, the fire itself and the millions of gallons of water used to control it,” said the Boston Public Library. A court later determined that no one alive was responsible for the sinking.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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