Worcester Marks 21st Anniversary Of Cold Storage Fire

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester will mark the anniversary of the Cold Storage and Warehouse fire with a moment of silence Thursday evening, exactly 21 years after the first firefighters responded to the abandoned Franklin Street building.

The fire would end up claiming the lives of Worcester firefighters Lt. Thomas Spencer, Paul Brotherton, Lt. Timothy Jackson, Jeremiah Lucey, Lt. James Lyons and Joseph McGuirk.

Worcester typically holds a service at the firefighters' memorial outside the Franklin Street station, which was built where the cold storage warehouse once stood. The coronavirus pandemic has postponed in-person services this year.

The anniversary of the fire has grown more painful since 1999. The department has lost three other firefighters since 1999 during this time of year: Lt. Jason Menard on Nov. 13, 2019; Christopher Roy on Dec. 9, 2018; and Jon Davies Sr. on Dec. 8, 2011.

For the 20th anniversary of the cold storage fire last year, the Leary Firefighters Foundation — founded by comic and Worcester native Dennis Leary — produced a five-part short documentary about the fire and its aftermath.