What to Know
- Worcester Fire Lt. Jason Menard became trapped while searching for a person and baby at the 4-alarm fire at 7 Stockholm St. early Wednesday
- Menard, who leaves behind a wife and three children, has been praised for heroically and selflessly saving his crew in the fast-moving fire.
- A funeral Mass is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at St. John's Catholic Church in Worcester, followed by private burial at St. John's Cemetery
A public viewing was held this afternoon for a fallen Massachusetts fire lieutenant who died in the line of duty last week while searching for a person and baby possibly trapped inside a burning home.
Calling hours for Lt. Jason Menard were from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Mercadante Funeral Home in Worcester on Sunday.
The 39-year-old lieutenant died while responding to a four-alarm house fire after he and two other firefighters became trapped on the third floor of the Stockholm Street building.
Menard "heroically and selflessly saved his crew" by helping a probationary firefighter to the stairs and then returning to rescue another trapped firefighter, Chris Pace, who he helped out of a third-story window, according to Fire Chief Michael Lavoie.
Menard, who leaves behind a wife and three children, was unable to escape.
Lavoie says that every death of a firefighter, "takes it's toll."
"Any firefighter fatality - it changes you," says Lavoie. "It changes your life, no matter who you are. And again, all you can do is hope to get out of this."
As Chris Pace recovers from his injuries in the hospital, his brother spoke with NBC10 Boston about the debt of gratitude the Pace family owes to Menard.
"We're fully indebted to them, 100 percent," Dan Pace said. "It's almost stronger than a family...they're not just coworkers. There's a brotherhood there, a bond. They're all one giant family."
A funeral Mass is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at St. John's Catholic Church in Worcester, followed by a private burial at St. John's Cemetery. Thousands of mourners are expected to attend the service.
The investigation continues into what caused the fast-moving fire in an apartment building at 7 Stockholm St. early Wednesday.
