FDNY Line of Duty Death
July 10, 1977 - LODD
Firefighter Martin Celic, 25
L18 (Working OT E15)
FDNY, New York
At 3:10 pm, a fire broke out on the fifth floor of an abandoned building located on East Eight Street between Avenues C & D. This location is now home to the Fireman's Garden, which honors all New York City Firemen who were killed in the line of duty. The garden pays particular tribute to Firefighter Celic. On July 2, Firefighter Celic, who was working an overtime tour with Engine Company 15, spotted the smoke on the way back to the firehouse after a false alarm. When Celic and the other FDNY members arrived at the warehouse, the blaze was spreading up the building. After the men entered the building, the teenager who had started the fire went back in and set another fire, on the second floor, trapping the firemen in the blazing structure. Ladder Company 18 raised its tower ladder to the fifth-floor window, and the firemen had to crawl onto the fire escape and jump to the tower ladder. Struggling through smoke and with heavy equipment on his back, Celic missed the bucket of the tower ladder and fell 70 feet to the ground. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he died eight days later, on July 10, 1977. On Sept. 11, 2001, Celic's brother Thomas, 43, who worked for Marsh McLennan, died in Tower 1 at the World Trade Center
RIP. Never forget
Last edited:
