Sunday, October 14, 2012 The site of a New York City Fire Department tragedy that broke the city’s heart 50 years ago sits unmarked, tucked away in an industrial section of Queens.
But that’s about to change.
Later this month, a memorial plaque will be mounted at the former site of the Sefu Soap and Fat Company on 56th Road in Maspeth where six firefighters perished on Oct. 26, 1962.
And for the first time in decades, family, friends and colleagues will gather for a ceremony.
“We lost six lives,” said Peter Keane, the owner of VIP Auto Body, which now occupies the site of the blaze. “I feel like they were forgotten.”
Keane discovered the building’s infamous history while doing renovations a year ago. Charred lumber and an elevator shaft provided some clues.
But none of his neighbors or local real estate experts had heard of the fire.
Keane turned to his general manager, Marc Eberle, and firefighter friend Michael Sarro, for research help.
They dug through microfilm and pulled together the grim details. Firefighters brought a raging blaze at the building under control, only to be crushed when a brick wall collapsed.
Several firefighters were injured and six were killed: Captain William Russell, Firefighter Richard Andrews and Firefighter James Marino from Engine 325; Firefighter Richard Gifford and Firefighter George Zahn from Engine 238 and Firefighter Francis Egan from Ladder 115.
“I was a lucky guy, said 78-year-old John Killcommons, a retired firefighter who responded to the fire and survived the tragedy. “When we got here the fire was roaring. The more water we took out of the creek, the fire just got brighter.”
Killcommons said two of the firefighters who died had joined the department with him just two years earlier.
“Every time I pass this place, it puts a tear in my eye,” said Killcommons, who lives in nearby Middle Village and recently visited the site to meet with Keane. “It always bothered me that there was no memorial.”
Sarro, a firefighter at Haz Mat 1 in Queens, worked with Fire Department officials and members of the various firehouses to track down family members.
“They couldn’t believe somebody was actually doing this,” Sarro said. “They (family members) were ecstatic.”
Joyce Egan was a 24-year-old mother of a toddler when her husband, Francis, was killed. They had just moved into their first house in Merrick, L.I.
“I think it’s wonderful that someone cares,” said Egan. “I told (Keane) he has a very kind heart.”
Egan said she tried to keep her husband’s memory alive over the years, dedicating a shelf of memorabilia as “Frank’s corner.”
But the dedication ceremony on Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. will give her son, also named Frank, a chance to hear about his father from others.
“I think he’ll really see how many people thought highly of his dad,” said Egan. “And it’s good for everybody to remember that these firemen can lose their lives so easily.”