UPDATE: Worcester Fire Lt. Jason Menard was supposed to leave for Disney World with his family; Died ‘heroically’ saving fellow firefighters

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Worcester Firefighter Lt. Jason Menard was killed overnight in a 4-alarm blaze, officials confirmed Wednesday morning.

Menard, 39, was fighting a fire at a three-decker on Stockholm Street during one of the coldest nights of the year. Officials said three other firefighters were injured in the fire and one appears to be in serious but stable condition at this time.

Scanner audio from the fire shows a mayday was called for the third floor at around 1:32 a.m. for a firefighter who was lost and disoriented while firefighters were battling the fire. It was not clear who the firefighter was. Several residents were displaced from the fire.

Ladder 5 became trapped by heavy fire conditions while trying to make their way to the third floor.

“Lt. Menard heroically and selflessly saved his crew, helping a probationary firefighter to the stairs and then returning to rescue another trapped firefighter, assisting him out the window. Fire conditions overtook the third floor at this time and Lt. Menard was unable to escape,” Worcester Fire Chief Michael Lavoie said.

Menard leaves a wife, Tina, and three young children, Lavoie said. The chief called it another unimaginable loss for the department.

“He was a passionate fire officer who absolutely loved being a firefighter,” Lavoie said, his voice filled with emotion. “He took his job very seriously, performed it admirably and his dedication to the residents of Worcester was unwavering.”

Worcester Local 1009 President Michael Papagni said the family had been planning a trip to Disney. Now instead, the family is planning a hero’s send-off.

There was a baby trapped on the third floor, Lavoie said. Menard and his fellow firefighters were making heroic efforts, the chief said. A fire official said the baby was taken out of the building and is OK. A woman inside the three-decker was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, the city wrote in a press release.

Firefighters on scene made courageous efforts, Lavoie said. Other firefighters were injured in the blaze.

“Lt. Menard’s actions last night – first leading his crew of Ladder 5 into an inferno to search for a baby and then courageously rescuing one fire fighter and continuing to rescue a second trapped fire fighter – are the most heroic I’ve heard in my 25 years of firefighting,” said Edward Kelly, general secretary-treasurer of the International Association of Fire Fighters.

“There are no words to express how difficult this loss is,” Worcester City Manager Edward Augustus said. “I know what a heavy burden this is for Chief Lavoie, Lt. Menard’s crew and every member of the Worcester Fire Department.”

Menard’s death is the third line-of-duty death for the department in less than one year.

“Jason’s, and his crew’s, heroic actions speak volumes of the type of dedication and selflessness that have become synonymous with the Worcester Fire Department," Augustus said. “I stand before you and ask that our city does what we have become all far too familiar with doing, which is to wrap our arms around this family and this department during this devastating moment.”

The loss of Menard comes as the Worcester Fire Department braces itself for the anniversary of other firefighter deaths.

Dec. 3 will mark the 20th anniversary of the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. Fire, which killed six firefighters.

Last year on Dec. 9, Firefighter Christopher Roy was killed battling a blaze on Lowell Street.

Earlier this year, Lt. John Kennedy died a few days after fighting a fire.

And in 2011, Firefighter Jon D. Davies Sr. died on Dec. 8, while battling flames inside an Arlington Street three-decker.

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