On June 17, 2001, FDNY Firefighters Harry Ford and Brian Fahey of Rescue 4, and John Downing of Ladder 163, died while performing interior fire suppression and exterior ventilation activities when an explosion occurred in the cellar of a hardware store in the Astoria section of Queens that caused a structural collapse. Firefighter Fahey and Firefighter Downing were removed from the debris after the collapse and transported to a local hospital where they were pronounced dead. Firefighter Ford was recovered from the cellar approximately four hours later and was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of the fire was ruled accidental. Teenagers, rummaging in the rear yard of the store looking for spray paint cans, accidentally knocked over a small container of gasoline. The flammable liquid ran under an overhead door into the cellar of the hardware store and the fumes were ignited by a pilot light on a hot water heater. The five-alarm fire occurred on Father’s Day 2001.
The structures that were involved in this incident were built prior to 1930 and were of two-story Type III Ordinary construction. Building 1 measured 2035 square feet and was triangular in shape. Building 2 measured 1102 square feet and was rectangular in shape. Building 1 and Building 2 shared a common or party wall and were interconnected on the first floor and the cellar. Building to building access in the cellar was through a fire door. Note: The fire door was blocked open to allow free movement between the cellars which were used for storage. A hardware store occupied the first floor and cellars of both buildings. Building 1 had two apartments on the second floor. Building 2 had an office and storage space on the second floor. Note: A third uninvolved building was attached to the west side of Building 2. The flat roof system sheathing consisted of 5/8-inch plywood covered by felt paper and rubber roof membrane. The foundation was constructed out of stone and mortar. The support system was a combination of steel masonry posts/Lally columns and wooden support beams. The hardware store had a considerable volume of hazardous/flammable materials, stored in small containers in the cellars of both buildings including propane cylinders, MAPP gas, oxygen, acetone, alcohol, lacquer thinner, mineral spirits, naphtha, toluene, turpentine, xylene, and approximately 350 spray paint cans.
The incident occurred in the Borough of Queens, with 178 squares miles the largest borough in land area of the five boroughs that make up the City of New York. Adjacent to the Borough of Brooklyn at the western end of Long Island with Nassau County to the east, Queens had a population of 2,405,464 as of the 2020 U.S. census. At the time of the incident the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) consisted of 11,500 career firefighters that served the city of 8,000,000 residents in a geographic area of approximately 321 square miles from over 300 fire stations.
Astoria is a primarily residential neighborhood in the western portion of Queens that is bounded by the East River to the west and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City to the southwest, Sunnyside to the southeast, and Woodside to the east. As of 2019, Astoria had an estimated population of 95,446. The neighborhood is served by four FDNY fire stations:
- Engine Company 260 – 11-15 37th Avenue – 1 mile from the fire building.
- Engine Company 262/Decon 2 – 30-89 21st Street – 1.5 miles from the fire building.
- Engine Company 263/Ladder Company 117 – 42-08 Astoria Boulevard South – 1.8 miles from the fire building.
- Battalion 49/Engine Company 312 – 22-63 35th Street – 1.9 miles from the fire building.
The FDNY requires all firefighters to complete a 13-week Probationary Fire Fighters School. Candidates must be Certified First Responders to become probationary firefighters. Probationary firefighters are instructed in hydraulics and learn the basics of fire suppression systems and firefighting tactics.
Firefighter Harry Ford had 27 years of experience and had completed an extensive list of training courses which included: Hazardous Material Operations, Ladder Company Chauffeur, and Fire Suppression and Control.
Firefighter Brian Fahey had 14 years of experience and had completed an extensive list of training courses which included: Hazardous Material Operations, Building Construction and Firefighter Safety, Tactical Forcible Entry, Tactical Engine Company Operations, Tactical Ladder Company Operations, Tactical Roof Operations, Tactical Search Operations, Engine Company Chauffeur, and Fire Suppression and Control.
Firefighter John Downing had 11 years of experience and had completed an extensive list of training courses which included: Tactical Forcible Entry, Chain Saw: Ladder, Tactical Search Operations, Tactical Mask Confidence, Tactical Private Dwelling Fire, Tactical Roof Operations, Hazardous Material Operations Level, Ladder Company Chauffeur, and Fire Suppression and Control.
The weather conditions at the time of the incident included an air temperature of 68 degrees F and a relative humidity of 83% with a north-northwest wind at 13.8 mph (Weather Underground). Note: Research by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has shown wind speeds on the order of 10 to 20 mph are sufficient to create wind-driven fire conditions in a structure with an uncontrolled flow path (Madrzykowski and Kerber 2009). The wind conditions during the fire likely had a significant impact on fire development and the outcome of the incident.
On Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17, 2001, at 1420 hours, FDNY dispatchers received a call from a local resident reporting a fire at the Long Island General Supply Company hardware store at 12-22 Astoria Boulevard in the Astoria section of Queens. At 1421 hours, the first-alarm companies were assigned. At approximately the same time, crews cleared the scene of a previous call approximately seven blocks away and were added to the alarm. Battalion 49 cleared Squad 288 from the previous call and notified dispatchers that they were adding their units to the structure fire call. Battalion 45 was assigned as the first-due Chief, and Engine 260 and Ladder 163 were assigned as the first-due companies. However, due to the proximity of the previous call, Squad 288 was stopped by a civilian for a verbal alarm and was the first unit to arrive on the scene at 1422 hours. They found the hardware store was closed and locked.
A civilian led the Captain from Squad 288 through a downstairs apartment in Building 3 to a cellar door on Side Charlie of Building 2. The Captain heard the fire crackling behind the cellar door and transmitted the working structure fire notification. When the Captain returned to Side Alpha, members of Squad 288 were pulling a 1 ¾-inch hoseline off their engine to the front of the structure. The Captain from Squad 288 informed them that the fire was in the hardware store and ordered them to stretch a 2 ½-inch hoseline. The Roof Firefighter from Squad 288 took a saw and performed forcible entry on the security gates that protected the two front entrance doors.
Between the hours of 1425 and 1430, Battalion 49, Engine 262, Engine 260, Ladder 116, Ladder 117, Ladder 163, Rescue 4, Battalion 45 and Engine 312 arrived on the scene. Battalion 49 assumed Command and began his walk-around to check for conditions and fire extension throughout the structure. As Command was walking down Side Bravo, a civilian informed him that firefighters would probably have better access to the fire through the rear of the structure, Side Charlie. Command instructed Engine 262 to stretch a hoseline to the rear of the structure for a possible entry into the cellar through a door on Side Charlie. The cellar door was accessed through the security gate between Sides Bravo and Charlie.
Command assigned Battalion 45 as rear sector-command over forcible entry on Side Charlie. The Lieutenant from Ladder 163, Ladder 163 Irons, and Ladder 163 Can, along with a member of Rescue 4, and Ladder 117 Outside Vent began forcing the reinforced steel security doors. Battalion 45 ordered Engine 262 to stretch a 2 ½-inch hoseline to the door. While waiting for the door to be forced, the officer from Engine 260 ordered his crew to stretch another 2 ½-inch hoseline.
Ladder 116 Roof (with the saw) and the Outside Vent firefighter raised a portable ladder to the roof on Side Alpha. Ladder 116 Can and members from Ladder 117 raised a 24-foot extension ladder to a window and conducted a quick search of the second floor. The Ladder 116 Outside Vent and Ladder 163 Roof firefighters went to the roof in the tower ladder bucket to perform vertical ventilation. Ladder 163 Roof exited the bucket and met up with Ladder 117 Roof, Rescue 4 Roof, and the crew from Ladder 116 to perform ventilation. Note: Ladder 163 Roof noted that heavy white smoke was pushing from the chimney. The ventilation crews removed the panes of glass from the skylights.
At approximately this time, Squad 288 had completed forcible entry on the Side Alpha entrance doors of the hardware store and encountered a medium smoke condition with no heat on the first floor. Squad 288 located an interior door that opened to a 6-foot-long landing which led to a set of stairs going to the cellar. The Captain from Ladder 116 and the officer and a firefighter with a thermal imaging camera (TIC) from Rescue 4 entered the landing to assess the conditions. They encountered heavy black smoke and no flames. The TIC revealed heat in the walls around the stair enclosure and sections of the floor. The stairs had a plywood slide over them that was covered with materials. The Captain from Ladder 116 removed the plywood and did not feel much heat on the walls with his bare hand.
Command entered the hardware store and Squad 288 informed him that the fire was behind the cellar door on Side Charlie. Squad 288 was ordered to hold this position so that an attack could be made from Side Charlie without opposing hoselines. During this time Squad 288 was holding their position at the door, and the door blew open a few times with a gust of blue flame. Note: Command and members of Squad 288 heard noises coming from the cellar that sounded like electrical arcing. The sound progressively got louder and stayed constant.
Ladder 115 arrived on the scene at approximately 1435 hours and was assigned as the Rapid Intervention Team (RIT). At approximately 1440, the Captain from Ladder 115 walked by Side Bravo to check on the progress at Side Charlie. During this time, he noticed Firefighter John Downing, Chauffeur from Ladder 163 and Firefighter Fahey, Chauffeur from Rescue 4, conducting venting operations on the cellar windows on Side Charlie. The crew removed the steel bars from the window with an extrication tool and vented the first cellar window, which was toward the rear of the structure. A firefighter from Engine 262 looked into the window and did not see any fire. He then assisted stretching another hoseline while the crew began venting the next cellar window closest to Side Alpha.
A firefighter from Squad 288 and Rescue 4 Firefighter Harry Ford then forced a door in Building 2 to gain access to the second-floor office and storage area. The firefighters conducted a search of the second floor, which had light smoke conditions. The firefighter from Squad 288 then returned to the first floor to assist on the 2 ½-inch hoseline into Side Alpha. The Deputy Chief from Division 14 arrived on the scene at approximately 1442 hours and proceeded to obtain a briefing from Battalion 49 and then assumed Command. Using hand tools, a power saw, and the extrication tool, the crew at the rear had just opened the reinforced steel security door approximately 18 inches.
Battalion 45 and the Lieutenant from Ladder 163 entered the cellar through the narrow opening to assess the condition and the entry and exit route. The smoke condition was light with no heat and no distinctive smells were present. The steel-over-wood door was reinforced on the inside with an iron bar gate. The determination was made to remove the door to provide a clear entry and exit route while operating in the cellar. Battalion 45 notified Command that they would have good access in the rear once the door was removed.
Battalion 49 checked the air supply of Squad 288 and decided on an attack down the cellar stairs. At this time, Battalion 49 did not hear any more arcing sounds from the cellar. While the rear door was being removed, Command stepped into the street to ensure Engine 312 stretched a 2 ½-inch hoseline to Side Alpha as backup to their attack from the first floor. The Special Operations Command (SOC) Chief had just arrived on the scene and was being briefed by Command in front of the Side Alpha entrance. There was a radio transmission of an unknown or lacquer odor followed by an acknowledgment of the same smell. The explosion took place within seconds of this transmission.
Command and the SOC Chief were blown into the street by the blast from the explosion. Battalion 45 and the forcible-entry crew on Side Charlie were blown from the doorway into the backyard. The explosion collapsed the Side Bravo wall, burying Firefighter Dowling, the Outside Vent firefighter from Ladder 116, and Firefighter Ford, who were conducting venting operations. Squad 288 and additional crew members on the first floor were lifted off their feet, and they landed in the rubble created by the explosion, which led them to believe they were blown into the cellar. They were able to exit through the debris of the Side Bravo wall. Firefighter Fahey radioed that he was trapped in the cellar under the stairs. Note: It is believed that Firefighter Fahey was on the first-floor landing at the top of the stairs to the cellar in Building 1 and was blown into the cellar down the stairway by the explosion.
A Personal Accountability Report (PAR) was conducted, and it was determined that four members were missing. The Outside Vent firefighter from Ladder 116 was found buried under brickwork. The store sign had fallen across his chest, shielding him from direct contact with the bricks. He was removed and transported to a hospital by ambulance. Crew members began removing the bricks and rubble on Side Bravo by hand to search for Ford and Downing. They were both found after approximately 25 minutes and transported to a local hospital where they were pronounced dead. Firefighters cut a hole in the floor near the stairs of Building 1 to attempt rescue of Firefighter Fahey by placing a ladder into the cellar. Crew members were forced off the ladder several times due to the intense fire and heat. Firefighters took about one hour to breach the Side Delta cellar wall of Building 2 from Building 3. Fahey was recovered by a member of a squad after descending the portable ladder placed into the stairway hole earlier in the operation. Firefighter Fahey was found near the base of the cellar stairs and was pronounced dead on the scene.
The cause of death for Firefighters Ford and Downing was listed as massive blunt force trauma. The cause of death for Firefighter Fahey was listed as asphyxia due to smoke inhalation.
The cause of the fire was ruled accidental. Teenagers, rummaging in the rear yard of the store looking for spray paint cans, accidentally knocked over a small container of gasoline. The flammable liquid ran under an overhead door into the cellar of the hardware store and the fumes were ignited by a pilot light on a hot water heater.
NIOSH investigators made several recommendations including:
- Ensure that pre-incident plans are updated and used on mercantile occupancies.
- Ensure that firefighters from the ventilation crew and the attack crew coordinate their efforts.
- Ensure that firefighters are trained to know the hazards associated with cellar fires and the precautions that can be taken to reduce serious injury.
- Municipalities and building owners should consider requiring and modifying older structures to meet new building codes and standards to improve safety of occupants and firefighters.
- Building owners should consider placing specific building hazard information on an exterior placard.
- Building owners should follow guidelines of the local authority having jurisdiction regarding the storage of hazardous/flammable materials and ensure that all existing safeguards are operational.
Members of the FDNY killed in the line of duty at the Father’s Day Fire in Astoria, Queens on June 17, 2001:
- Firefighter Harry S. Ford Jr., age 50, was a 27-year veteran of the FDNY assigned to Rescue 4. He was awarded many citations throughout his career and received the Thomas Crimmins Medal, one of the most prestigious awards given by the fire department. He was survived his wife, Denise, stepdaughter Janna O’Brien‚ age 24, and two sons‚ Harry, age 12 and Gerard, age 10. His funeral was held at St. Ignatius Martyr Roman Catholic Church in Long Beach, Long Island, New York. Thousands of firefighters from the area and around the country attended the service. Once the ceremony ended, the casket was placed back onto the back of an engine as a bugler played taps. A formation of six police helicopters droned overhead. Burial arrangements were private for the family.
- Firefighter Brian D. Fahey, age 46, was a 14-year veteran of the FDNY assigned to Rescue 4. He also served as a volunteer firefighter with the Hempstead Fire Department Engine Co. 4 and a Deputy Chief Instructor with the Nassau County Fire Service Academy. He was survived by his wife, Mary, and three sons, Brendan, age 8, and twins Patrick and James, age 3. His funeral was held at St. Raymond’s Martyr Roman Catholic Church in East Rockaway, Long Island. Thousands of firefighters from the area and around the country attended the service. The burial service followed at Holy Rood Cemetery in Westbury, Long Island, New York.
- Firefighter John J. Downing, age 40, was an 11-year veteran of the FDNY assigned to Ladder 163. He was survived by his wife, Anne and two children, Joanne, age 7, and Michael, age 3, his mother, Josephine, sisters Maureen Bishop‚ Denise Mallek and Rosie McCullagh, and brothers‚ Joseph (NYPD)‚ James (NYPD) and Denis (FDNY). His funeral was held at St. Sebastian Church with an estimated 3,000 firefighters attending. As the flag-draped casket of the fallen firefighter was taken from the church by the members of his firefighting unit, the church bell rang every 10 seconds. The Fire Department 54-member drum and bagpipe band played “Going Home” as Downing’s casket was raised onto the back of an FDNY engine. Overhead, five police helicopter in a “missing man’ formation roared across the sky. Interment was private for his family, childhood friends and colleagues from his fire company at St. Sebastion’s Columbarium in Lake Carmel, Putnam County, New York.
The names of Firefighter Harry S. Ford, Brian D. Fahey and John J. Downing have been honored at the New York Firemen’s Memorial on Riverside Drive at 100th Street in Manhattan, New York. The memorial honors members of the NYFD and FDNY who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
The names of Firefighter Harry S. Ford, Brian D. Fahey and John J. Downing have been inscribed at the New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial on the grounds of the New York State Capitol in Albany. The memorial features a 54-foot by 15-foot gray granite wall with the names of New York State fallen firefighters permanently etched into the stone. In front of the wall stands a 10-foot-high dark bronze sculpture of two firefighters rescuing an injured colleague created by New York sculptor Robert Eccleston. The sculpture rests on a paved plaza with charcoal and red bricks forming a Maltese Cross. As of October 2024, there are 2,692 names on the wall. The earliest name on the wall is from the year 1811.
The names of Firefighter Harry S. Ford, Brian D. Fahey and John J. Downing have been inscribed on the 2001 plaque displayed at the National Fallen Firefighter Memorial on the campus of the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
The site of the fatal fire is now occupied by a mixed-use residential over retail space building. The section of Astoria Boulevard in front of the building has been dedicated to the three fallen firefighters.
Commentary:
Building information is critical to the safety of all operating personnel. While we normally would consider a local mercantile store as a medium hazard when sizing up a report of a structure fire in this type of occupancy, even a small neighborhood hardware store may contain enough hazardous materials in small containers to cause a rapid fire event and explosion. The collection of information on the quantity and location of hazardous materials located in all commercial occupancies should be a high priority when firefighters are conducting pre-incident planning activities in the buildings in their local fire districts.
We have attached photos and diagrams of the incident. The link to the NIOSH report is here: https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/163844
We have also attached the link to the FDNY investigation report on the incident that has additional information: https://www.scribd.com/document/667950667/Investigation-report-FDNY-Fathers-Day-Fire-2001-06-17
Thanks to multiple media sources for additional information for this article.
Honor the service of Firefighters Harry Ford, Brian Fahey, and John Downing by reviewing and touring the commercial occupancies in your local response district that sell and store hazardous materials in any quantities with your crew members today.
Remember Fallen Brothers.
Get Out There And Know Your Local!!!
Firefighters gather on Side Alpha of the fire building following the explosion.
Firefighter Brian D. Fahey, age 46, was a 14-year veteran of the FDNY assigned to Rescue 4. He also served as a volunteer firefighter with the Hempstead Fire Department Engine Co. 4 and a Deputy Chief Instructor with the Nassau County Fire Service Academy. He was survived by his wife, Mary, and three sons, Brendan, age 8, and twins Patrick and James, age 3. His funeral was held at St. Raymond’s Martyr Roman Catholic Church in East Rockaway, Long Island. Thousands of firefighters from the area and around the country attended the service. The burial service followed at Holy Rood Cemetery in Westbury, Long Island, New York.
The names of Firefighter Harry S. Ford, Brian D. Fahey and John J. Downing have been inscribed at the New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial on the grounds of the New York State Capitol in Albany. The memorial features a 54-foot by 15-foot gray granite wall with the names of New York State fallen firefighters permanently etched into the stone. In front of the wall stands a 10-foot-high dark bronze sculpture of two firefighters rescuing an injured colleague created by New York sculptor Robert Eccleston. The sculpture rests on a paved plaza with charcoal and red bricks forming a Maltese Cross. As of October 2024, there are 2,692 names on the wall. The earliest name on the wall is from the year 1811.
