The cold‑storage building on Worcester’s Franklin Street was a maze of abandoned aisles and rusted metal, its walls thick with decades of damp. A fire alarm rang at 6:15 p.m. on December 3 1999, after two homeless men were thought to be trapped inside. Within minutes the blaze had spread, turning the air black with smoke and forcing six firefighters—Jeremiah Lucey, Thomas Spencer, Paul Brotherton, Timothy Jackson, Joseph McGuirk, and James Lyons—to navigate a labyrinth that swallowed them.
NIOSH investigators later found that the building’s vacant status and confusing layout made it a death trap. Their report cited poor personnel accountability, lack of rapid‑intervention teams, and ineffective communication as key failings. They urged pre‑fire planning for empty structures, stronger accountability protocols, and the adoption of thermal‑imaging cameras to locate lost responders.
In the wake of the tragedy, Denis Leary opened the Leary Firefighters Foundation in 2000, pledging to fill the gaps that the NIOSH study highlighted. The foundation’s grant portfolio now totals $17.5 million and spans live‑fire training facilities, emergency vehicles, thermal cameras, and safety gear. Projects have included a door‑simulator for forcible entry training and a fleet of upgraded trucks for rapid response.
The foundation’s reach extends beyond Worcester. In 2026, retired FDNY battalion chief David Morkal—now a board member—said the grants enable departments that otherwise could not afford advanced technology. The annual Denis Leary FDNY Firefighter Challenge also pulls civilians into the academy, raising additional funds for grants.
One of the first beneficiaries was a small rural station in western Massachusetts that, after receiving a thermal camera, was able to locate a trapped homeowner during a kitchen fire, a rescue that would have been impossible in the dark.
Leary and the foundation are set to announce a new grant cycle in early 2027, targeting additional rural departments and expanding the supply of thermal imaging equipment. A press release scheduled for February will detail the application window and eligibility criteria.