Firefighters honor fallen heroes five years after Back Bay fire

Firefighters from all over the city paused for a moment of silence on Tuesday, to remember two lives of their own that were lost in 2014.

At 2:42 p.m., when the first alarm struck five years ago in the Back Bay, firefighter Michael Kennedy and Lt. Ed Walsh led an attack on a 9-alarm fire.

They were in the basement of the four story house as flames raced up the walls leading to an explosion.

Kennedy and Walsh got trapped in the basement and died. Walsh left behind three young kids, while Kennedy, a Marine, left behind an off-duty life of volunteering with children.

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Firefighters laid a wreath alongside a fire hydrant at the firehouse, while a red wreath hung on the window of the brownstone where the fire happened.

That day, 11 other firefighters were also hurt.

"On behalf of the Boston Fire Department, our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Lt. Ed Walsh and FF. Michael Kennedy who were killed in the Line of Duty five years ago today," Fire Commissioner Joseph Finn posted on social media.

The Boston Fire Department also shared their thoughts, honoring their fallen brothers and their families.

Boston 25 News anchor Blair Miller recently sat down with firefighter Kennedy's mother, Kathy Crosy-Bell, for her reaction to Boston 25's reports on the occupational hazards firefighters continue to face.

She now runs a foundation in her son's name, helping his legacy live on.

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