Uploaded December 2019 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
On December 3, 1999, a fire started in an abandoned cold storage warehouse in Worcester, MA. Upon reports of two citizens being trapped inside, Worcester Fire Department sent in two firefighters for a search and rescue operation. The warehouse did not have any windows, or fire protection systems, and the layout inside was a confusing maze. The two firefighters got lost inside and radioed incident command, at which time four more firefighters were sent in. They too got lost.
Six firefighters lost their lives in the confusing, disorienting fire and smoke that raged in the warehouse. The tragedy forever altered the fire service with advancement and adoption of thermal imaging cameras in fireground operations.
Matt Foley, a Research Associate at NFPA® in 2019, recalled his personal connection to the Worcester cold storage warehouse fire in this interview for NFPA Journal®.
©2019 National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA). All rights reserved.
On December 3, 1999, a fire started in an abandoned cold storage warehouse in Worcester, MA. Upon reports of two citizens being trapped inside, Worcester Fire Department sent in two firefighters for a search and rescue operation. The warehouse did not have any windows, or fire protection systems, and the layout inside was a confusing maze. The two firefighters got lost inside and radioed incident command, at which time four more firefighters were sent in. They too got lost.
Six firefighters lost their lives in the confusing, disorienting fire and smoke that raged in the warehouse. The tragedy forever altered the fire service with advancement and adoption of thermal imaging cameras in fireground operations.
Matt Foley, a Research Associate at NFPA® in 2019, recalled his personal connection to the Worcester cold storage warehouse fire in this interview for NFPA Journal®.
©2019 National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA). All rights reserved.
