BUFFALO N.Y. (WKBW) — The Buffalo Fire Department spent Saturday honoring the loss of two of its own. Saturday marks 15 years since firefighters Jonathan Croom and Lt. Charles "Chip" McCarthy were killed in the line of duty.
Around 4 a.m. Saturday, the department shared this call over all firefighters’ radios:
"Attention all companies, this morning marks 15 years since we lost Firefighter Johnathan Croom, Ladder 7, and Lt. Charles "Chip" McCarthy, Rescue 1, on August 24, 2009. Although our hearts will always hurt, we can persevere, we can go on, and we can do this by remembering them. Sharing what we know about John and Chip keeps their legacies alive for everyone: families, friends, and those who come after us…Please observe a moment of silence."
On August 24, 2009, Croom and Lt. McCarthy were among the firefighters who responded to a fire at a deli on Genessee Street. At one point it was believed that a person was trapped in the basement, so Lt. McCarthy went back into the building. The floor partially collapsed and Lt. McCarthy fell through. Croom went to try and find McCarthy. Crews lost contact with both men.
“It’s one of the greatest things you can do for us as a family, is to be here and to help us remember my son [Jonathan Croom] and Chip McCarthy, who both perished here at this site,” Croom’s mother, Angie Huesinger said.
Huesinger was at the early morning vigil. She told reporters she just recently had the strength to look back at the hundreds of messages written by community members immediately after her son's passing.
“I got a chance to look back at 2009 and actually read the 329 entries that were in there, because obviously at the time I couldn’t,” Huesinger said. “One of the resounding messages that I had found was that the people that had known my son, those of you that got to meet him, those of you that worked with him, his friends, his family. They were definitely touched, their lives were touched, by someone who brought great joy, had great sense of humor, was living a full life.”
7 News Anchor Jeff Russo talked to her Friday about keeping her son’s memory alive. You can watch the full conversation below.
