Memorial and Procession for Baltimore’s Fallen Firefighters – CBS Baltimore
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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A memorial was held Wednesday for three Baltimore city firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice when they died in the line of duty last week.
Mourners and their colleagues gather at the Baltimore Convention Center to pay their last respects to Lt. Paul Butrim, Lt. Kelsey Sadler and Firefighter Kenny Lacayo, a trio of firefighters killed in a January 24 building collapse.
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The memorial service was held at the convention center. From the convention center, the bodies of deceased firefighters are escorted to Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens, a 70-acre cemetery in Timonium.
WJZ is streaming the memorial live and online. Click on the video player to watch.
Below we compile the live updates from the service:
1:56 p.m.
A funeral procession on Wednesday afternoon escorts the bodies of Butrim, Sadler and Lacayo to their final resting places at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens.
THIS HAPPENS NOW:
Procession for three fallen Baltimore firefighters underway. The bodies of Lt. Paul Butrim, Lt. Kelsey Sadler and Firefighter Kenny Lacayo in coffins make their final journey to Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens for burial. @wjz pic.twitter.com/gZSBRAKOjD— Amy Kawata TV (@AmyKawata) February 2, 2022
11:58 Lacayo is remembered as a music lover who traveled everywhere to attend concerts.
His fiancée, Clara Fenelon, said: ‘I told her recently, I couldn’t believe life had come full circle, and somehow I found myself on top. I was on top of the world, it was my Kenny.
Fenelon said she was comforted knowing that most people spend their whole lives searching for the love she and Lacayo had. She didn’t go back to their house and looked at the laptop that still contains their wedding guest list.
“I know this loss will forever change who I am,” she said. “But loving and sharing a home with you, my Kenny, has been the greatest honor of my life, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Lacayo’s sister, Kattia Elizabeth Olivas-King, said her brother loved his family and was a firefighter. After falling in love with Fenelon, “he finally found the missing piece to help him feel complete,” she said.
And while the public now regard Lacayo as a hero, she said she would remember him as “sweet and gentle and kind and always upbeat, even in the darkest of times”.
11:39 Sadler’s sister Lacey Marino said her sister would have hated all the attention, recalling the time she was upset at a surprise birthday party.
Marino remembered Sadler as a confident, creative, and supportive person who lived life to the fullest.
“Kelsey loved life and she lived it the way she wanted to, all gas and no brakes,” she said. “She was always ready to take on any task or challenge.”
Marino remembers speaking with Sadler on the phone after a shift and hearing her say that her fire company had received eight calls after midnight.
“She was just a boss, she was awesome,” Marino said.
Even though Sadler had said she never wanted to have kids, Marino called her an excellent mother-in-law and “the coolest aunt.”
Marino asked her daughter her favorite thing to do with Aunt Kelsey, and the daughter replied, “Everything.”
11:28 Battalion Chief Joshua Fannon remembered Butrim as a firefighter who immersed himself in the smallest details of the job and became a leader for young members.
“He took them under his wing and taught them all aspects of life as a firefighter, from the tricks of the trade, to effective search and rescue, ventilation techniques and much more,” Fannon said.
He recalled the when Butrim was honored by Firehouse magazine in 2015 after locating a child face down in an apartment fire and performing CPR until emergency medical services arrived.
In 2016 Butrim was promoted to lieutenant.
“He made sure the firefighters assigned to him were always working to learn the intricacies of the job and to improve by drilling on all aspects,” Fannon said.
Fannon also recalled Butrim’s sense of humor, saying he had a dry wit and often kept a straight face until others in the conversation began to pick up.
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“Once he saw you smiling, he would burst out laughing,” he recalled.
Butrim was a fan of the Boston Red Sox, Washington Capitals, but his biggest love was NASCAR, Fannon said.
“He was a fixture in the races at Dover and would go with his brothers…” Fannon said. “But his best friend to take was definitely his son Nolan, who died three years ago this month.
10:54 Baltimore City Fire Chief Niles Ford addresses the tragedy in his department.
“To lose one BCFD member is a terrible tragedy, but to lose three is almost unbearable” – BCFD Chief, Niles Ford
— Amy Kawata TV (@AmyKawata) February 2, 2022
Fire Chief Niles Ford: “They lived a life of dedicated service. They loved people and they served humanity. Their lives were not in vain.
— Linh Bui WJZ (@LinhBuiWJZ) February 2, 2022
Ford thanked out-of-town firefighters for coming to work Wednesday, bringing the whole department to tears.
“When this happened initially, my goal with our deputy chiefs was to try to ensure that everyone who was working that day had the opportunity to come here and cry in unity, and celebrate the life of these three heroes in unity,” he said. . “And I just want to thank all those people who came out, all the firefighters, all the fire chiefs, all the elected officials who made this possible.”
10:45 a.m. Mayor Brandon Scott delivers remarks
Mayor Brandon Scott: “Each of them made the ultimate sacrifice for us. We all owe them our deepest sense of gratitude, honor and respect. Not just today and not just tomorrow, but forever.
— Linh Bui WJZ (@LinhBuiWJZ) February 2, 2022
The mayor said he hopes the love and gratitude shown by the city of Baltimore, as well as firefighters and leaders across the country, has brought the families and loved ones of Butrim, Sadlery and Lacayo comfort and peace.
He addressed members of the Baltimore City Fire Department in attendance: “My heart is with you as you mourn the loss of brothers and sister. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you do, day in and day out, to preserve and save lives in Baltimore.
The city is mourning the loss of three “of the bravest among us”, he said – “those who decide each day to rise up and not just face danger, but run headlong into the danger to save strangers. It takes a special type of person.
He quoted the Bible verse John: Chapter 15, Verse 13: “There is no greater man than this, let a man lay down his life for his friends.”
10:42
PHOTOS: These are just a few of FF’s **THOUSANDS*** in #Baltimore City for today’s funeral.
Washington
Rhode Island
Ohio
North Carolina…we met others as far away as France & Canada
They tell me THAT’S WHAT THEY DO you show up for other firefighters @wjz pic.twitter.com/uJ01CmeY0V
— Annie Rose Ramos (@AnnieRoseNews) February 2, 2022
10:38 Governor Larry Hogan delivers a speech.
Governor Larry Hogan: “When we learned that we had lost them, it shook us to the core. The loss of a firefighter or first responder in the line of duty is always heartbreaking. Losing three is an unimaginable tragedy.
— Linh Bui WJZ (@LinhBuiWJZ) February 2, 2022
The governor quoted the Bible verse Isaiah: Chapter 6, Verse 8: “I also heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who shall go for us? So I say: Here am I; send me.”
On the morning of January 24, he said, Butrim, Sadler and Lacayo did what they were trained to do and what they loved to do.
“On that tragic and fateful day, they said, ‘Send me,'” Hogan said.
He asked all Marylanders “to find a way to say thank you to those who run into danger like others run from it.”
10:17 a.m.
At this time, the coffins of the three fallen heroes – Lt. Paul Butrim, Lt. Kelsey Sadler and firefighter Kenny Lacayo – are being escorted away.
The funeral is being broadcast live… https://t.co/4wXuhSmXVK@wjz pic.twitter.com/dD90oIoGAM
— Avajoye Burnet (@AvajoyeWJZ) February 2, 2022
9:53
The doors of the Baltimore Convention Center have been temporarily closed while family members of the victims are escorted out.
Among those waiting to enter at this time are members of the @FDNY @wjz pic.twitter.com/7B4fWsJHA8
— Avajoye Burnet (@AvajoyeWJZ) February 2, 2022
9:40 a.m. Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s memorial service, Mayor Brandon Scott and Baltimore City Fire Chief Niles Ford said the city has support from around the world as firefighters mourn the loss of three friends and colleagues.
Ford said people from as far away as Canada and California came to Baltimore and he received text messages from people from England and Asian countries.
The mayor said President Joe Biden called to offer his support.
Scott and Ford said today it was about honoring Butrim, Sadley and Lacayo after they made the ultimate sacrifice.
“Today is really about them and their families, lifting them up and supporting them, giving them the heroes they deserve and giving them the respect they deserve,” said Scott.
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“Today is the day we pay tribute to the sacrifice of the lives of these heroes and this shero, for all they have done for the city, for all they have done with their families, for the kind of people they are,” Ford said.
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