Firefighter Michael Kennedy, left, and Lt. Edward Walsh, right, were killed in a fire that tore through a Back Bay brownstone Wednesday.
Credit: Boston Fire Department
The two Boston firefighters who died battling a massive 9-alarm blaze in the Back Bay will be laid to rest this week during back-to-back funeral services.
State and local firefighters unions – the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts and Local 718 – said that a wake for Lt. Edward Walsh will take place Tuesday from 3 p.m to 8 p.m. at St. Patrick’s church in Watertown. A funeral Mass will be said at the church on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.
Also, Wednesday, the wake for Firefighter Michael Kennedy will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the P.E. Murray Funeral Home in West Roxbury. A funeral Mass will be said Thursday at 11 a.m. at Holy Name Church in West Roxbury.
Walsh and Kennedy died Wednesday when they became trapped in the basement of 298 Beacon St. where a massive fire broke out. Investigators are still examining the cause of the fire. Thirteen other firefighters were sent to the hospital for injuries.
Walsh, 43, of West Roxbury, was a married father of three children under 10 years old. He was recalled as a leader in the fire department who took other members under his wing.
Kennedy, 33, of Hyde Park, was a former Marine sergeant and a board member of the Boston Firefighters Burn Foundation who was remembered for his devotion to others.
A fund has been established to help the families of the fallen firefighters.
Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.
