Emergency Radio Transmissions Recount Boston Fire Tragedy

BOSTON (CBS) - The emergency radio transmissions from the tragic Beacon Street fire were released late Wednesday night, hours after the deaths of Boston Fire Lt. Edward Walsh and firefighter Michael Kennedy.

The calls from firefighters and dispatchers illustrate how quickly the fire turned into a 'mayday' situation as both Walsh and Kennedy became trapped in the basement of the brownstone.

Here is a sample of the communication moments after firefighters arrived Wednesday afternoon.

Firefighter:  "Everyone out of the first floor."

Dispatcher: "Stay off the first floor...everybody get out of the first floor."

Dispatcher: "Engine 33 has a 'mayday' on channel 2 in the basement.  Engine 33 is 'mayday on channel 2 in the basement, ok?

Firefighter: "I want all members out of the building..all members out of the building immediately."

Dispatcher:  "All companies get out of the building...all companies get out of the building."

Firefighter: "We are unable to reach engine 33... their last known location was the basement toward the front of the building, ok?"

Firefighter:  "Make sure all members are off the roof.  I want everybody off the roof."

Dispatcher:  "All companies off the roof.  It's a 9th alarm. All companies off the roof."

MORE LOCAL NEWS FROM CBS BOSTON

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.