Boston Firefighters Remembered, 4 Years After Back Bay Fire

BACK BAY, MA — Monday Boston Firefighters observed a moment of silence at 2:42 p.m. in front of 298 Beacon Street on the four year anniversary of the death of the two firefighters who died in the massive Back Bay fire.

The March 26, 2014 fire claimed the lives of Lt. Ed Walsh and Firefighter Michael Kennedy who died battling that blaze. Both were trapped in the basement of the burning building. Close to two dozen more first responders were also injured in that fire

A report two years after their deaths pointed to inadequate staffing, lack of training and "failure to adequately assess risk" were three factors that led to the deaths of both men -- Ed Walsh, a 43-year-old career fire lieutenant and Michael Kennedy, a 33-year-old firefighter. Both died during firefighting operations in that multi-family residential structure.

At the time of the fire, Patch reported mayday calls from both men made it clear they needed water minutes after entering the building.

The inquiry report by the Boston Fire Department found the failure of the glass door between the building's entry foyer and basement hallway, along with the opening or failure of the shed's exterior and vestibule doors (the fire began in the shed before extending to the building) is believed to have been the catalyst that caused the sudden and dramatic change in fire conditions behind Lt. Walsh and Firefighter Kennedy, leading to their entrapment as they searched for the source of the fire within the basement where they perished.

Photo courtesy Boston Fire