FDNY marks 60 years since the 23rd Street fire, its deadliest day before 9/11
Twelve firefighters died when a floor collapsed during a five-alarm blaze near 23rd Street and Broadway on Oct. 17, 1966. Families and firefighters gathered at the corner Saturday.
Photo: Spencer Means / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- The FDNY held a wreath-laying ceremony Saturday at the southeast corner of 23rd Street and Broadway, marking 60 years since the 23rd Street fire (ABC7, Uniformed Firefighters Association).
- Twelve members, from a deputy chief to a probationary firefighter, died on Oct. 17, 1966, when the ground floor of the Wonder Drug Store collapsed during a five-alarm fire that started in a storage area (FDNY).
- It was the department's greatest loss of life until Sept. 11, 2001, when 343 members were killed (FDNY, ABC7).
- Chief of Department John Esposito, relatives of the fallen and members of nearby companies took part, ABC7 reported.
- Squad 18 held a memorial Mass at St. Joseph's Church on Sixth Avenue in the morning, and Engine 16/Ladder 7 scheduled one for 12:30 p.m. at the Chapel of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on East 33rd Street (UFA).
Firefighters and families gathered Saturday at the southeast corner of 23rd Street and Broadway to mark 60 years since the 23rd Street fire, which killed 12 members of the FDNY on Oct. 17, 1966, ABC7 reported. Department members laid a wreath at the site, with Chief of Department John Esposito, relatives of the fallen and firefighters from surrounding companies taking part. The Uniformed Firefighters Association listed the ceremony for 11 a.m.
What happened in 1966
The ground floor of the Wonder Drug Store at the corner of 23rd Street and Broadway collapsed during a five-alarm fire that began in a storage area, according to the FDNY. It remained the greatest loss of life in the department's history until Sept. 11, 2001, when 343 members were killed at the World Trade Center.
The 12 who died held nearly every rank in the department:
- Division 3: Deputy Chief Thomas A. Reilly and Firefighter William F. McCarron
- Battalion 7: Battalion Chief Walter J. Higgins
- Engine Company 18: Lt. Joseph Priore and Firefighters James V. Galanaugh, Joseph Kelly, Daniel L. Rey and Bernard A. Tepper
- Ladder Company 7: Lt. John J. Finley and Firefighters John G. Berry, Rudolph F. Kaminsky and Carl Lee
Other observances today
The firehouses tied to the fire also held their own services, according to the UFA's event listings. Squad 18 hosted a breakfast in quarters and a memorial Mass at 9:30 a.m. at St. Joseph's Church, 371 Sixth Ave., in Greenwich Village. Engine 16/Ladder 7 invited past and present members and their families to a 60th commemorative Mass at 12:30 p.m. at the Chapel of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, 325 E. 33rd St., followed by a luncheon.
- ABC7 New YorkFDNY honors 12 firefighters on 60th anniversary of 23rd Street fire
- FDNYThe FDNY honors 59th anniversary of the 23rd Street Fire
- Uniformed Firefighters Association60th Anniversary of the 23rd Street Fire Wreath Laying Ceremony
- Uniformed Firefighters AssociationSquad 18 Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the 23rd Street Fire
- Uniformed Firefighters Association60th Commemorative Year of the 23rd Street Fire Memorial Mass
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