Members of the FDNY will pause to remember the 12 firefighters who were killed in what has been called the "23rd Street fire" 50 years ago today. The Oct. 17, 1966 fire was the deadliest blaze in the department's history until the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
“The 23rd Street fire was unlike any other in our Department’s history,” Commissioner Daniel Nigro said in a statement. “12 brave Firefighters and the FDNY were wounded like never before. As we mark the 50th anniversary of this tragedy, we reaffirm our commitment to never forget the heroes of that awful day and the families they left behind.”
A Monday memorial service on East 23rd Street near Broadway where a plaque will be mounted on the facade of the high-rise building that replaced the businesses where the firefighter's perished.
Those who perished held ranks from Deputy Chief to Probationary Firefighter: 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.
