The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 28

THE BOSTON GLOBE MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1999 Inferno in Worcester: Honoring a city's heroes Body of firefighter recovered from rabble 1,1 i By Cindy Rodriguez GLOBE STAFF A3 IV V' 4- Words they live by This traditional poem hung on a wall at the home of Worcester firefighter Paul Brotherton. Part of it was read yesterday by Brotherton's nephew, Keith Higgins. it Air MATTRESS -'At ciiftrj Firefighters stood at attention yesterday "It's extremely dangerous," said Worcester Fire Captain Dennis Dolan, who is heading the Technical Rescue Team. "The smoke conditions at times are blinding." Firefighters from more than three dozen communities took turns helping, alongside Federal Emergency Management Agency officials. Teams of six stepped into the former Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse moving beams, pipes, and timber.

They used special equipment, including tiny cameras attached to poles, according to Worcester District Chief Walter Giard. Worcester fire officials have said that the blaze began in two locations, and they had not determined whether it was set. But Ste as WORCESTER Stepping through heaps of twisted metal and blackened rubble, a firefighter using his hands yesterday discovered the remains of Timothy P. Jackson, one of six firefighters who perished in a gruesome fire here Friday night The discovery was both a relief to family members who now face burying their loved ones, and a painful reminder to firefighters, who keep replaying the fire in their minds, wishing they could change things. With smoke still rising into the sky, family members standing several hundred yards away hugged one another as two firefighters carried Jackon's remains out on a canvas stretcher.

Firefighters standing on a nearby roof and lined up along the side of the hulking warehouse took off their helmets and placed their hands on their hearts. "They're devastated, just devastated," said the Rev. Peter J. Scanlon, the Worcester Fire chaplain, of the grieving friends and family. "When someone first tells you someone in your family is dead, you're shocked.

Today it is sinking in." Investigators say finding the other firefighters Paul A. Brotherton, Jeremiah M. Lucey, James S. "Jay" Lyons, Joseph T. McGuirk, and Lieutenant Thomas E.

Spencer will be a painstaking process. A wrecking ball knocked chunks of the brick and mortar exterior to the sidewalk, allowing a backhoe to scoop out debris. Trained dogs sniffed through the heaps, and firefighters, many weary from two nights without sleep, picked through it all. "They are sifting through every square inch looking for any clues," said George Burke, spokesman for the International Association of Fire Fighters. "They might find an air mask, they might find a tank or any article related to the fallen firefighters." But, as the day wore on, the promise of retrieving additional bodies faded away.

It is a risky undertaking because pockets of fire continued to break out, and the remains of the building are unstable. Six who died FIRE Continued from Page Al in his fire academy class in 1987 and had recently scored well on the test to become a lieutenant. The oldest of the victims and the one whose body was removed from the building first was Tim Jackson, 51, who memorialized his service in Vietnam with a large "screaming eagle" tattoo on his shoulder. Jackson, the father of two, was a member of the Red Knights, a group of firefighter motorcycle enthusiasts, and was so enamored of speed that when he bought his Harley-Da-vidson, he didn't even ride it until he had installed a more powerful engine, recalled Neil Donahue, a 27-year veteran of the Grove Street firehouse where Jackson was stationed. He made a yearly pilgrimage to the Viet-nam War memorial in Washington.

Kenneth Turner, a friend of Jackson's since the early 1980s, said the lasting legacy of his service in the Vietnam War was that he worked best under conditions of intense stress. "When it came to work outside the Fire Department, he wanted everybody else to do it," said Turner, 43, with a laugh. "He was as lazy as can be. But when it came to fires, everybody said even the firefighters that he was the guy you wanted behind you." Turner described Jackson as a "gentle giant" with "a face like the lion in the "Wizard of Oz' sort of squinty-up like, but when he smiled, he looked just like a little kid," he said. Although Paul Brotherton was the father of six boys, he still had to restrain himself from cooking enough for an entire fire department, and family members joked that he could "make a casserole out of the crumbs from a toaster." Cloistered in the Brother- are remembered for dedication in face of danger When I am called to duty, God, whenever flames may rage, Give me strength to save some life, whatever be Us age.

Help me embrace a little child before it is too kite, Or save an older person from the horror of that fate. Enable me to be alert and hear the weakest shout, And quickly and efficiently to put the fire out I want to fill my calling and give the best in me, To guard my every neighbor and protect his property. Andif, according to my fate, Iamto lose my life, Please bless with your protecting hand, my children and my wife. two homeless people inside. There were none.

Though some residents have questioned why the fire commander made the call to send the firefighters inside, none of the firefighters or family members yesterday assessed blame. "The general consensus was everything was done by the book," Burke said. Worcester Mayor Raymond V. Mariano said that although some are angry about the deaths, the anger is not directed at anyone. "No one is saying, 'Why were they sent Mariano said.

"Our firefighters sacrificed for the least among us and they do it without question." Funds set up for families In the wake of a warehouse fire in which six Worcester firefighters died, funds have been established to help aid the victims' families. The Salvation Army has established a relief fund that was aided by an anonymous donation of $10,000. Donations may be sent to: Salvation Army, Worcester Fire Relief, P.O. Box 16924, Worcester, MA 01601. The Worcester Telegram Gazette has established a similar fund, making an initial contribution of $6,000.

Donations may be sent to: Firefighters Fund, co Flagship Bank, 120 Front Street, Worcester, MA 01608 or via the Web at the Telegram Gazette Web site www.eWorcester-.com. PATRICK J. CALNAN expected to attend a Thursday memorial service at the Worcester Centrum. Neil Donahue, who served for years with Brotherton, Jackson and Spencer, retired two years ago to Surprise, and spent part of yesterday mquiring about plane tickets. When firefighters use the word "brother," he said, it's not a cliche.

Talking about the distance, he started to cry. "The difference is, you have to get along," said Donahue. "Our lives depended on it" Kera Ritter of the Globe staff contributed to this report Material from the Associated Press was also used in this report Traffic around scene, on 1-290 to be rerouted The warehouse fire in Worcester will continue to have an impact on life in the city in a variety of ways. According to Worcester police, the eastbound lane of 1-290 will be closed through the city, however westbound lanes will be open. The area immediately surrounding the fire scene will be closed to all traffic, as will Putnam Lane, Franklin Street, Washington Square, and a portion of Posner Square.

Eastbound 1-290 traffic will be rerouted off the highway at Exit 11 through downtown Worcester, then back to 1-290 at Exit 18. Anticipated traffic snarls will also affect Worcester schools. Worcester elementary schools will delay their start time by two hours and all pre schools have been canceled. Motorists can get traffic updates by calling SmarTraveler at 617-374-1234. HERMIONE MALON'E k.

M'sPCm the body of a comrade was removed from phen Coan, the state fire marshal, said last night, "We have not at this time identified multiple points of origin." He said the fire was considered suspicious and that "all possible causes are under consideration." Those who work in the area, known as Grafton Hill, said it was not uncommon for the homeless people who slept inside to light fires for warmth. Mike Korsak, an engine rebuilder at Warren's automotive shop, just down the block, said that two months ago he saw firefighters at the warehouse putting out a fire. "It was on a Friday night. I was just leaving work when I saw it," Korsak said. "The city knew there were homeless people sleeping in 1 i- i i Exhausted firefighters walked past a pile Worcester warehouse yesterday.

close friend for more than 10 years. He said Lucey would have been just as likely to endanger himself to help someone when he was off duty; it was just in his character. "There's the people that are going to stand on the side and look, and there are going to be those couple of people who go in and try to help," Rudzinski said. "They're the people who don't think. They don't think of the end result." Among the six men were two former altar boys Thomas Spencer and Joseph McGuirk, Scanlon said.

Together, the McGuirks have served more than 200 years as firefighters, said Joseph McGuirk's brother, William. Joseph's father had served more than 30 years as a firefighter, and three condolences man, said some hard feelings still exist toward Kwan, stemming from his purchase of the rundown Town Hall in the early 1980s. Although Kwan promised to rehabilitate the 100-year-old brick structure, it sat idle for years, creating an eyesore in the town's center, he said. A fire later destroyed the building, he said. Officials never determined the cause of the fire since the building had to be razed the following day because of safety concerns, Henries added.

In 1988, Kwan built a replica of the building on the site. Today, after years of being vacant, Henries said, the building is partly occupied. Tina Lin, co-owner of Imperial China, a Chinese restaurant on Route 9 in Framing-ham, described Kwan as "a very warm and outgoing person who does lots of community l. i worn, especially ior uie noirieiras. GLOBE STAFF PHOTO EVAN RICHMAN the Worcester warehouse.

there." He wondered whether the deaths could have been avoided if the city had done a better job of caring for the homeless, whom he said have been shifted from one site to another. "They used to sleep in the old Post Office terminal, but they got kicked out of there," Korsak said. Then they moved to Union Station, but the entrances were cemented shut George Yantsides, owner of the Kenmore Diner, a Worcester institution that sits at the edge of the old warehouse, said he had seen the squatters for months. Between 30 and 40 firefighters entered the burning building thinking there were GLOBE STAFF PHOTO JOHN BOHN of debris after searching through the years ago, at the age of 35, when he was "running out of time," Joseph entered the department, he said. Joseph McGuirk had two children.

Spencer's wife, Kathy, said she was mourning more than her husband. "We don't think of this as one person losing one person. We lost a family," she said. "I'm sure that my husband is looking down and seeing that his brothers are helping us, and they will help us for the rest of our lives." Spencer left three children. Outside the warehouse yesterday, 20 firemen in full gear stood by watching, exhausted, long after they had been told they could go home.

And the ripples spread far beyond Worcester 12,000 firefighters are yV-VX "4- i DIXG ON "TOW" KWAN "Prayers go out to the families" GLOBE STAFF PHOTO JOHN BOHN Kathy Spencer, who lost her husband, Thomas, said yesterday, "We don't think of this as one person losing one person. We lost a family." tons' Auburn home, nephew Keith Higgins said the family was proud to identify him as one of the two rescue squad members lost one of Brotherton's sons added, "goes in without water." Brotherton had served 16 years in the Fire Department. Like Lyons, Jeremiah Lucey had fixed on firefighting as a child, but for Lucey it was a long time coming. Neighbors remembered the years Lucey, a father of two, spent working at a Coca-Cola bottling plant and waiting for a vacancy in the department When his name finally came up three years ago, Lucey "wanted to get into the most intense part of it" and pressed for a spot in the rescue squad, said Vincent Rudzinski, a He wants to do the right thing." Kwan, a Framingham resident, is well-known west of Boston where his Natick-based company, Cosmo Land has invested millions to erect office buildings in the region. The developer, who was educated at Harvard University, recently contributed $25,000 toward a feasibility study for a proposed 10-acre bio-medical center that would have included the Cold Storage Warehouse, according to Gibbs.

The development would have contributed to the revitalization of the Union Station area, launching about two dozen businesses, creating jobs for residents and increased tax revenues for the city. Kwan, who controls about 10 buildings in the Franklin Street area, wants to promote Worcester as a bio-tech center and a place where medical devices awe manufactured. William Henries, a Northborough select- Owner of warehouse offers By Thomas Grfllo GLOBE CORRESPONDENT The owner of a Worcester warehouse that erupted in flames on Saturday, claiming the lives of six firefighters says he is devastated by the tragedy. "My heart and prayers go out to the families, friends, and colleagues of the brave firemen who lost their lives in this catastrophe," Ding On "Tony" Kwan said in a prepared statement "There is no way to adequately express the sorrow that I feel. My family and I are praying for the families and friends of the lost firemen, and we mourn their deaths." Kwan, 53, owner of the vacant five-story Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse, declined to be interviewed yesterday.

His attorney, David Gibbs, said, "Tony feels terrible right now. He's cooperating with the state fire marshal's office without lawyers..