Nearly eight decades later, the Fire Department is remembering 13 firefighters who died in the line of duty.
A ceremony is scheduled for Friday at 10 a.m. at City Hall to observe the 78th anniversary of the Strand Theatre Fire. The ceremony is held each year around the anniversary of the fire, which resulted in one of the largest losses of life for firefighters in the history of the United States.
After a roof collapsed during the firefighting operation, 13 firefighters died while battling the Strand Theatre Fire on March 10, 1941. Outside of the World Trade Center collapse on 9/11, large wildfires and a ship explosion, the Strand Theatre fire is one of the top six deadliest incidents resulting in the loss of firefighter life in U.S. history, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
“Basically, we keep holding this memorial because firefighters never forget,” said William Hill, president of the Brockton firefighters union, Local IAFF 144. “Similar to the tragedy at 9/11, the Brockton Fire Department and members of Local IAFF 144 will never forget the sacrifices of the firefighters that were killed or injured that day, as well as the families that were left behind.”