[Worcester Fire Department]
Artist
Bruce Davidson
(American, born 1933)
Date2000
MediumResin-Coated Print
DimensionsOverall, Image: 8 × 7 7/8 in. (20.3 × 20 cm)
Overall, Support: 11 × 8 1/2 in. (27.9 × 21.6 cm)
ClassificationsPhotography
Credit LineAnonymous gift
Object number2018.44.74
DescriptionUSA. Massachusetts. 1999. On December 3rd, 1999 the fire in Worcester started with a candle in an abandoned warehouse. It ended with temperatures above 3000 degrees and the men of the Worcester fire department in a fight for their lives. The fire killed 6 men. The family of Jay Lyons from left: His mother, Joan; sister, Kathryn; and father, James. After rejoining the Worcester Fire Department in 1997 and being assigned to Engine 3, Jay always wore a sterling-silver medallion depicting Saint Florian, the patron saint of firefighters. Somehow, it survived temperatures of 3000 degrees intact, and Kathryn now wears it around her neck.
