As retired Fire Lt. Donald Courtney lifts open one of 82 containers of “the stuff” stored on the property of Saint-Gobain Corp., he smiles as he carefully inspects the items inside.
He said he remains fascinated by what he finds and deeply touched by what it all means.
“The stuff” is a collection of everything left by firefighters, schoolchildren and members of the community, as expressions of grief over the loss of the six Worcester firefighters killed on Dec. 3, 1999, while fighting the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. fire. It includes notes, stuffed animals, handcrafted items and artworks. There is also a box of firefighting tools found at the fire scene.