The lone survivor of an infamous firefighting tragedy for the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) has passed away, according to a report.
A report on Patch.com says FDNY Capt. Manuel Fernandez, the only member of West 10th Street’s Engine Company 18 to survive the devastating 23rd Street Fire of 1966, died last Tuesday.
Fernandez, the chauffeur of Engine 18, was the only member of his company to survive when the ground floor of the Wonder Drug Store collapsed, the report said.
The fire claimed the lives of 12 FDNY firefighters, and was the department’s worst loss of lives in the line of duty until the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the World Trade Center.
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