NEW YORK (WABC) — The FDNY is commemorating the 60th anniversary of the 23rd Street fire on Saturday with a memorial service honoring the 12 firefighters who died in the blaze on Oct. 17, 1966.
The ceremony is being held at the southeast corner of 23rd Street and Broadway in Manhattan, the site of the fire. Department members are laying a wreath in honor of the firefighters who were killed, and several family members of the deceased firefighters are expected to attend.
The 23rd Street fire claimed the lives of 12 FDNY members and remained the deadliest day in the department’s history until Sept. 11, 2001, when 343 members were killed at the World Trade Center.
The fire on Oct. 17, 1966 began in an art store cellar. Firefighters were trying to reach it through the smoke-filled drugstore next door when the floor caved in. A high-rise apartment building now occupies the site.
WATCH VIDEO FROM 1966 OF THE 23RD STREET FIRE
12 firefighters died battling the blaze on East 23rd Street back in 1966.
Those who died in the fire represented nearly every rank in the department, from deputy chief to probationary firefighter. They were Deputy Chief Thomas A. Reilly and Firefighter William F. McCarron, both of Division 3; Battalion Chief Walter J. Higgins of Battalion 7; Lieutenant Joseph Priore, Firefighter James V. Galanaugh, Firefighter Joseph Kelly, Firefighter Daniel L. Rey and Firefighter Bernard A. Tepper, all of Engine Company 18; and Lieutenant John J. Finley, Firefighter John G. Berry, Firefighter Rudolph F. Kaminsky and Firefighter Carl Lee, all of Ladder Company 7.
Chief of Department John Esposito, FDNY members and relatives of firefighters killed in the line of duty at the 23rd Street fire are participating in the commemoration. Active members from surrounding FDNY fire companies also attend the annual ceremony.
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