Boston Mourns Two Firefighters Lost in Back Bay Nine-Alarm Blaze

Firefighter Michael Kennedy and Lt. Marty Walsh. Photo: Boston FD

Two firefighters lost their lives yesterday protecting life and property in the tony Back Bay neighborhood in Boston.

Michael Kennedy, 33, and Lt. Edward Walsh, 43 were killed in a 9-alarm blaze that was fanned by 30+ mile an hour winds sweeping through the city.

Photo: BosGuy

Boston Fire Deputy Chief Joseph Finn said last night,

In 30 years, I’ve never seen a fire travel that fast, escalate that quickly, and create such havoc, in such a short period of time.

Local public radio station WBUR reports that Walsh, from West Roxbury, was a married father of two sons and a daughter. The 43-year-old came from a firefighting family. His late father and his late uncle were Watertown firefighters and his cousin Tom is now a captain for the Watertown department.

Walsh, who had served with the Boston department for nine-and-a-half years, looked like a prototypical firefighter.

The 33-year-old Kennedy was a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq.

Nicknamed “Dork,” according to the Globe, he was remembered by friends for his sense of humor and his involvement in charitable activities. He sat on the board of the Boston Firefighter Burn Foundation, which volunteers with burn patients.

The meaning of hero changes depending on the speaker and subject. By any measure, these men were heroes. They will not be forgotten.