Firefighter Leaves Behind Wife & 4 Kids. Day of Funeral, Family Has No Words for Who Shows Up
If you were to list the world’s unsung heroes, first responders would have to come near the top. We take for granted our safe homes, roads, and businesses, too soon forgetting that EMTs, police officers, and firefighters often pay the highest price for our way of life.
That point was driven home on March 22 in the Harlem neighborhood of New York, where crews were filming “Motherless Brooklyn” starring Edward Norton and Bruce Willis. The site was a building that had once housed a jazz club.
Although the investigation is still ongoing, authorities believe that the conflagration began in the rear of the building’s cellar, possibly due to either the electrical system or the boiler. So without warning, the facility suddenly burst into flames.
New York’s finest were on the fire in moments, but their vigilance would soon take a tragic turn. While fighting the blaze, 37-year-old New York City Fire Department Lt. Michael Davidson got separated from his unit.
As firefighters brought the five-alarm fire under control, they discovered Davidson unconscious on the site. He was whisked away to a nearby hospital, but soon succumbed to smoke inhalation and died.
Nobody honors its fallen quite like New York. When Davidson’s wife and four children appeared at his wake on March 25, hundreds of uniformed firefighters showed up.
“The city of New York lost a great person,” FDNY Capt. Robert Allen said during the proceedings. “The Davidson family lost a great son.”
But firefighters weren’t the only ones who appeared to celebrate Davidson’s memory. Norton himself also arrived, publicly recognizing his debt to the fallen first responder.
“I have never witnessed firsthand that kind of bravery,” Norton had written on Instagram the previous day. “I’m in awe of that kind of selfless courage.
“It’s devastating to contemplate that one of the men we watched charging in there lost his life. Please send a prayer of thanks for the spirit and courage of Michael Davidson.”
Norton linked to the FDNY Foundation, which is currently soliciting funds to pay for his children’s education. The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation has also promised to donate $100,000 so that his widow won’t have to struggle to pay the mortgage.
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