Father’s Day, June 17, 2001, started as any other day tour would for the FDNY.

At 2:19 p.m. a telephone call to the Queens Dispatch office reported a fire in a store. At about the same time Squad 288, taking up from a minor haz-mat incident in the area, received a verbal alarm reporting smoke from the same location. As they arrived they transmitted the 10-75 signal reporting a working fire.

Conditions in the structure, a 2 story commercial building with fire on the first floor and dwelling above, began to worsen. A radio progress report from the chief on the scene indicated that there was “popping sounds” coming from the basement.

Housing a well stocked industrial supply the building was well fortified. Units tried to gain access to the basement via the rear basement. A line was stretched through the store to the top of the basement stairs. Members from Rescue 4 began to search the first floor store. Simultaneously, Firefighter Harry Ford(R4) and John Dowling(L-163) were attempting to remove a gate from a window on the exposure 2 side.

First came a small explosion followed almost immediately by a huge blast. All of the firefighters on scene were tossed, thrown, or knocked down by the explosion. Firefighters inside the building reported being lifted off the ground and hitting the ceiling. Others were thrown to the ground, others were blown back from the building.

The 14 Division immediately transmitted a 2nd alarm reporting a major explosion. The explosion caused the entire exposure 2 wall to collapse, burying Firefighters Ford and Dowling. Firefighter Fahey(R4) was part of the inside search team, he was separated from the other members of the team, and wound up in the basement. He reported to his officer, "I'm trapped in the basement by the stairs. Come get me."

As the not too seriously injured members began to dig, the fire was upgraded from a 2nd alarm to a 4th alarm. In all 5 alarms were transmitted, all 5 FDNY rescue companies, 7 squad companies, 46 engines, 33 ladders, 16 battalion chiefs, 2 deputy chiefs and a number of off duty members responded to the scene. The deaths of three firefighters was the most lost at one fire in many years.

Just three short months after this tragedy as the New York City Fire Department, Ladder 163 and Rescue 4 were still mourning the loss of these three firefighters, terrorists attacked the World Trade Center towers. Many of the firefighters seen in this video were killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center Towers.