When Eric Hardy read about the emotional suffering of Kathy Fury, mother of submarine arsonist Casey Fury, he thought about himself and many others hurt by the fire.
“I’m sorry Mrs. Fury is having a hard time,” Hardy said, during the two hours it took the former Portsmouth Naval Shipyard firefighter to summarize the impact the fire had on him, his family and other firefighters.
Hardy, 48, was injured during the May 23, 2012, fire aboard the USS Miami, for which Casey Fury was convicted of setting. Six years after the fire, Hardy cites a long list of related physical ailments, financial setbacks and things he can no longer do.
“My whole life has been to serve and protect and in one day it was all taken away from me,” he said. “One little person made this huge spiderweb effect and each person has to deal with their own demons.”