Lieutenant Thomas E. Spencer
Ladder 2
"Most of all he was a good person. He would never hesitate to help."
— Kathy Spencer, Tom's wife
Fire Lt. Thomas E. "Tommy" Spencer, 42, is remembered for his dedication to family and friends and his giving spirit. He joined the Worcester Fire Department in 1978 and was assigned to the Winslow Street Fire Station.
Upon its closing, he was stationed at Engine 2, South Division. But Tom wanted to be a "ladder man," and transferred to Ladder 4, Webster Square. After two years at Engine 9, Tatnuck Square, he was promoted to Fire Lieutenant in August 1992, and was assigned to Engine 15, Quinsigamond Village. As soon as a ladder position became available, Tom transferred to Ladder 2, Grove Street.
A lifelong Worcester resident, Tom attended St. Peter's Grammar School and St. Peter's High School, where he was a valued member of the football team. In 1979, he married Kathleen Murphy and had three children: two sons, Patrick, age 16, and Daniel, age 13, and one daughter, Casey, age 15. Tom was described as a true family man, and his devotion was evident in his commitment to various community organizations, including St. Charles Boromeo Church, where he and Kathy served as liturgical ministers; the Boy Scouts of America; Worcester Youth Soccer; and the Jesse Burkett Little League.
Tom loved to spend family time outdoors, especially camping, kayaking and hiking. Tom also enjoyed going to Red Sox games and to tailgate parties at the College of the Holy Cross football games. A true baseball enthusiast, he was an expert in baseball trivia and made annual trips to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Along with Kathy and his children, Tom leaves his parents, Robert and Barbara Spencer; a brother, Michael, who serves as a Worcester fire fighter; and a sister, Linda Morrow.
Bio Credits: The Worcester Fire Fighters Memorial
http://www.fallen-heroes.com/Heroes/spencer.html
Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire was a fire that began on December 3, 1999, in Worcester, Massachusetts. It started when two homeless and mentally disabled people, who were living inside the warehouse, knocked over a candle after an argument earlier in the afternoon. Both fled without reporting the fire to emergency services. The structure was located five blocks east of the Worcester central business district, near the Union Station train station and adjacent to Interstate highway 290. The fire would eventually grow to five-alarm status and rage for six days before being brought under control. Firefighting companies from the city and from neighboring towns were called to respond. Six Worcester firefighters died in the fire.
Details
Reports that homeless people were possibly inside the engulfed warehouse caused fire-rescue personnel to search the six-story building. The searchers' task was made extremely difficult by the large size of the building's interior and the highly flammable composition of its insulation. Nearly a century old, the interior walls had been progressively covered with various forms of insulating materials, including cork impregnated with tar, polystyrene foam, and polyurethane foam, to a thickness of 18 inches. Once ignited, the large 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. 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 an elevator-shaft roof skylight, 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 air depleted. Despite repeated radio calls for help, along with activation of audible location alarms, six firefighters, who have since become known as the Worcester 6, perished in the blaze. It took eight days to find and recover the remains of the six men.
Services for the firefighters were held in the DCU Center (then called the Worcester Centrum). The funeral procession was broadcast on several national news networks and was attended by President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator John Kerry (who flew non-stop from Burma, where he had been attending a diplomatic function). Also in the procession were firefighters from around the United States, Canada, and from Dublin, Ireland.
City leaders plan to erect a memorial to the Six in Institute Park, behind the Grove Street fire station. A new fire station now sits on the land formerly occupied by the cold storage facility, which was demolished immediately after the fire investigation. Also, a banner hangs from the rafters in the DCU Center to commemorate the Worcester 6, was raised by the Worcester Sharks AHL team on December 3, 2009.
Actor Denis Leary's first cousin, Jerry Lucey, and his childhood friend and high school classmate, Lt. Tommy Spencer, were both victims of the fire. In an effort to find a positive way to deal with this overwhelming loss, Denis established The Leary Firefighters Foundation in the spring of 2000.
Ladder 2
"Most of all he was a good person. He would never hesitate to help."
— Kathy Spencer, Tom's wife
Fire Lt. Thomas E. "Tommy" Spencer, 42, is remembered for his dedication to family and friends and his giving spirit. He joined the Worcester Fire Department in 1978 and was assigned to the Winslow Street Fire Station.
Upon its closing, he was stationed at Engine 2, South Division. But Tom wanted to be a "ladder man," and transferred to Ladder 4, Webster Square. After two years at Engine 9, Tatnuck Square, he was promoted to Fire Lieutenant in August 1992, and was assigned to Engine 15, Quinsigamond Village. As soon as a ladder position became available, Tom transferred to Ladder 2, Grove Street.
A lifelong Worcester resident, Tom attended St. Peter's Grammar School and St. Peter's High School, where he was a valued member of the football team. In 1979, he married Kathleen Murphy and had three children: two sons, Patrick, age 16, and Daniel, age 13, and one daughter, Casey, age 15. Tom was described as a true family man, and his devotion was evident in his commitment to various community organizations, including St. Charles Boromeo Church, where he and Kathy served as liturgical ministers; the Boy Scouts of America; Worcester Youth Soccer; and the Jesse Burkett Little League.
Tom loved to spend family time outdoors, especially camping, kayaking and hiking. Tom also enjoyed going to Red Sox games and to tailgate parties at the College of the Holy Cross football games. A true baseball enthusiast, he was an expert in baseball trivia and made annual trips to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Along with Kathy and his children, Tom leaves his parents, Robert and Barbara Spencer; a brother, Michael, who serves as a Worcester fire fighter; and a sister, Linda Morrow.
Bio Credits: The Worcester Fire Fighters Memorial
http://www.fallen-heroes.com/Heroes/spencer.html
Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire was a fire that began on December 3, 1999, in Worcester, Massachusetts. It started when two homeless and mentally disabled people, who were living inside the warehouse, knocked over a candle after an argument earlier in the afternoon. Both fled without reporting the fire to emergency services. The structure was located five blocks east of the Worcester central business district, near the Union Station train station and adjacent to Interstate highway 290. The fire would eventually grow to five-alarm status and rage for six days before being brought under control. Firefighting companies from the city and from neighboring towns were called to respond. Six Worcester firefighters died in the fire.
Details
Reports that homeless people were possibly inside the engulfed warehouse caused fire-rescue personnel to search the six-story building. The searchers' task was made extremely difficult by the large size of the building's interior and the highly flammable composition of its insulation. Nearly a century old, the interior walls had been progressively covered with various forms of insulating materials, including cork impregnated with tar, polystyrene foam, and polyurethane foam, to a thickness of 18 inches. Once ignited, the large 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. 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 an elevator-shaft roof skylight, 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 air depleted. Despite repeated radio calls for help, along with activation of audible location alarms, six firefighters, who have since become known as the Worcester 6, perished in the blaze. It took eight days to find and recover the remains of the six men.
Services for the firefighters were held in the DCU Center (then called the Worcester Centrum). The funeral procession was broadcast on several national news networks and was attended by President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator John Kerry (who flew non-stop from Burma, where he had been attending a diplomatic function). Also in the procession were firefighters from around the United States, Canada, and from Dublin, Ireland.
City leaders plan to erect a memorial to the Six in Institute Park, behind the Grove Street fire station. A new fire station now sits on the land formerly occupied by the cold storage facility, which was demolished immediately after the fire investigation. Also, a banner hangs from the rafters in the DCU Center to commemorate the Worcester 6, was raised by the Worcester Sharks AHL team on December 3, 2009.
Actor Denis Leary's first cousin, Jerry Lucey, and his childhood friend and high school classmate, Lt. Tommy Spencer, were both victims of the fire. In an effort to find a positive way to deal with this overwhelming loss, Denis established The Leary Firefighters Foundation in the spring of 2000.
Lieutenant Thomas E. Spencer
Ladder 2
"Most of all he was a good person. He would never hesitate to help."
— Kathy Spencer, Tom's wife
Fire Lt. Thomas E. "Tommy" Spencer, 42, is remembered for his dedication to family and friends and his giving spirit. He joined the Worcester Fire Department in 1978 and was assigned to the Winslow Street Fire Station.
Upon its closing, he was stationed at Engine 2, South Division. But Tom wanted to be a "ladder man," and transferred to Ladder 4, Webster Square. After two years at Engine 9, Tatnuck Square, he was promoted to Fire Lieutenant in August 1992, and was assigned to Engine 15, Quinsigamond Village. As soon as a ladder position became available, Tom transferred to Ladder 2, Grove Street.
A lifelong Worcester resident, Tom attended St. Peter's Grammar School and St. Peter's High School, where he was a valued member of the football team. In 1979, he married Kathleen Murphy and had three children: two sons, Patrick, age 16, and Daniel, age 13, and one daughter, Casey, age 15. Tom was described as a true family man, and his devotion was evident in his commitment to various community organizations, including St. Charles Boromeo Church, where he and Kathy served as liturgical ministers; the Boy Scouts of America; Worcester Youth Soccer; and the Jesse Burkett Little League.
Tom loved to spend family time outdoors, especially camping, kayaking and hiking. Tom also enjoyed going to Red Sox games and to tailgate parties at the College of the Holy Cross football games. A true baseball enthusiast, he was an expert in baseball trivia and made annual trips to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Along with Kathy and his children, Tom leaves his parents, Robert and Barbara Spencer; a brother, Michael, who serves as a Worcester fire fighter; and a sister, Linda Morrow.
Bio Credits: The Worcester Fire Fighters Memorial
http://www.fallen-heroes.com/Heroes/spencer.html
Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire was a fire that began on December 3, 1999, in Worcester, Massachusetts. It started when two homeless and mentally disabled people, who were living inside the warehouse, knocked over a candle after an argument earlier in the afternoon. Both fled without reporting the fire to emergency services. The structure was located five blocks east of the Worcester central business district, near the Union Station train station and adjacent to Interstate highway 290. The fire would eventually grow to five-alarm status and rage for six days before being brought under control. Firefighting companies from the city and from neighboring towns were called to respond. Six Worcester firefighters died in the fire.
Details
Reports that homeless people were possibly inside the engulfed warehouse caused fire-rescue personnel to search the six-story building. The searchers' task was made extremely difficult by the large size of the building's interior and the highly flammable composition of its insulation. Nearly a century old, the interior walls had been progressively covered with various forms of insulating materials, including cork impregnated with tar, polystyrene foam, and polyurethane foam, to a thickness of 18 inches. Once ignited, the large 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. 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 an elevator-shaft roof skylight, 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 air depleted. Despite repeated radio calls for help, along with activation of audible location alarms, six firefighters, who have since become known as the Worcester 6, perished in the blaze. It took eight days to find and recover the remains of the six men.
Services for the firefighters were held in the DCU Center (then called the Worcester Centrum). The funeral procession was broadcast on several national news networks and was attended by President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator John Kerry (who flew non-stop from Burma, where he had been attending a diplomatic function). Also in the procession were firefighters from around the United States, Canada, and from Dublin, Ireland.
City leaders plan to erect a memorial to the Six in Institute Park, behind the Grove Street fire station. A new fire station now sits on the land formerly occupied by the cold storage facility, which was demolished immediately after the fire investigation. Also, a banner hangs from the rafters in the DCU Center to commemorate the Worcester 6, was raised by the Worcester Sharks AHL team on December 3, 2009.
Actor Denis Leary's first cousin, Jerry Lucey, and his childhood friend and high school classmate, Lt. Tommy Spencer, were both victims of the fire. In an effort to find a positive way to deal with this overwhelming loss, Denis established The Leary Firefighters Foundation in the spring of 2000.
Ladder 2
"Most of all he was a good person. He would never hesitate to help."
— Kathy Spencer, Tom's wife
Fire Lt. Thomas E. "Tommy" Spencer, 42, is remembered for his dedication to family and friends and his giving spirit. He joined the Worcester Fire Department in 1978 and was assigned to the Winslow Street Fire Station.
Upon its closing, he was stationed at Engine 2, South Division. But Tom wanted to be a "ladder man," and transferred to Ladder 4, Webster Square. After two years at Engine 9, Tatnuck Square, he was promoted to Fire Lieutenant in August 1992, and was assigned to Engine 15, Quinsigamond Village. As soon as a ladder position became available, Tom transferred to Ladder 2, Grove Street.
A lifelong Worcester resident, Tom attended St. Peter's Grammar School and St. Peter's High School, where he was a valued member of the football team. In 1979, he married Kathleen Murphy and had three children: two sons, Patrick, age 16, and Daniel, age 13, and one daughter, Casey, age 15. Tom was described as a true family man, and his devotion was evident in his commitment to various community organizations, including St. Charles Boromeo Church, where he and Kathy served as liturgical ministers; the Boy Scouts of America; Worcester Youth Soccer; and the Jesse Burkett Little League.
Tom loved to spend family time outdoors, especially camping, kayaking and hiking. Tom also enjoyed going to Red Sox games and to tailgate parties at the College of the Holy Cross football games. A true baseball enthusiast, he was an expert in baseball trivia and made annual trips to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Along with Kathy and his children, Tom leaves his parents, Robert and Barbara Spencer; a brother, Michael, who serves as a Worcester fire fighter; and a sister, Linda Morrow.
Bio Credits: The Worcester Fire Fighters Memorial
http://www.fallen-heroes.com/Heroes/spencer.html
Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire was a fire that began on December 3, 1999, in Worcester, Massachusetts. It started when two homeless and mentally disabled people, who were living inside the warehouse, knocked over a candle after an argument earlier in the afternoon. Both fled without reporting the fire to emergency services. The structure was located five blocks east of the Worcester central business district, near the Union Station train station and adjacent to Interstate highway 290. The fire would eventually grow to five-alarm status and rage for six days before being brought under control. Firefighting companies from the city and from neighboring towns were called to respond. Six Worcester firefighters died in the fire.
Details
Reports that homeless people were possibly inside the engulfed warehouse caused fire-rescue personnel to search the six-story building. The searchers' task was made extremely difficult by the large size of the building's interior and the highly flammable composition of its insulation. Nearly a century old, the interior walls had been progressively covered with various forms of insulating materials, including cork impregnated with tar, polystyrene foam, and polyurethane foam, to a thickness of 18 inches. Once ignited, the large 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. 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 an elevator-shaft roof skylight, 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 air depleted. Despite repeated radio calls for help, along with activation of audible location alarms, six firefighters, who have since become known as the Worcester 6, perished in the blaze. It took eight days to find and recover the remains of the six men.
Services for the firefighters were held in the DCU Center (then called the Worcester Centrum). The funeral procession was broadcast on several national news networks and was attended by President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator John Kerry (who flew non-stop from Burma, where he had been attending a diplomatic function). Also in the procession were firefighters from around the United States, Canada, and from Dublin, Ireland.
City leaders plan to erect a memorial to the Six in Institute Park, behind the Grove Street fire station. A new fire station now sits on the land formerly occupied by the cold storage facility, which was demolished immediately after the fire investigation. Also, a banner hangs from the rafters in the DCU Center to commemorate the Worcester 6, was raised by the Worcester Sharks AHL team on December 3, 2009.
Actor Denis Leary's first cousin, Jerry Lucey, and his childhood friend and high school classmate, Lt. Tommy Spencer, were both victims of the fire. In an effort to find a positive way to deal with this overwhelming loss, Denis established The Leary Firefighters Foundation in the spring of 2000.
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