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Aug 30, 2007 2:11 pm US/Eastern
Fallen Firefighters Honored At Home Station
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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"We will never forget your bravery" reads one sign left at the fire station.
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A U.S. flag is flying at half-staff in front of the building.
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A woman leaves flowers and a card at the Engine 30, Ladder 25 firehouse.
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Warren Payne (L) and Paul Cahill (R).
CBS
Two Boston firefighters killed last night in a fast-moving blaze are being honored at their home station.
Paul Cahill and Warren Payne served on Engine 30, Ladder 25, the first unit to respond to the fire at the Tai-Ho Mandarin and Cantonese restaurant in West Roxbury.
Neighbors brought flowers, candles and cards to the firehouse this morning. Black bunting hangs above the doors, and a flag flies at half-staff outside the building.
"It's scary when it hits home this close," said Karen Dolan, wife of a Roslindale firefighter. "You feel bad for the two families."
"I have two uncles and my grandfather was a firefighter, so this means a lot. They put everything on the line," said 10-year-old Robbie Gorman.
"I'm the mother of two firefighters. It hits home," said Patty Westwater.
One of Westwater's sons is a New Bedford firefighter and the other is a Boston firefighter. She visited the fallen soldiers' station in West Roxbury Thursday to pay her respects.
"I talked to my oldest son, who is the Boston firefighter," she said. "He's in a very somber mood. I can't wait to see him."
"We know a lot of the guys at the fire house so it's the least we could do is drop off some flowers and say we're sorry," said neighbor Bruce Lovely.
Boston Fire Department Captain Emmet Nichols summed up the pain he and his fellow firefighters are feeling.
"It's a brotherhood. It's our family members. It's pretty devastating," Nichols said. "There are 45, 50 guys here all hurt on different levels."
Nichols said he was supposed to work at Ladder 25 Wednesday night but switched his schedule last minute, something, he said, that haunts him.
Boston Mayor Tom Menino says the city has lost two of their bravest and offers prayers and help to the families of the two fallen firefighters.
"At this terribly sad moment we pray for Paul and Warren, their families and friends, the more than 100 firefighters who responded at the fire, and all the men and women of the Boston Fire Department. We pray for those injured last night and ask God to bless them with the strength to recover," said Cardinal Sean O'Malley in a statement.
Governor Patrick says the fire brought tragedy to the city and state and ordered all flags lowered to half-staff.
The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox observed a moment of silence before their game in the Bronx on Thursday afternoon, paying tribute to Cahill, Payne and two New York firefighters who died in a fire at a ground zero skyscraper earlier this month.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
