A display at an East Palo Alto fire station set up to honor firefighters who died in the 9/11 attacks was vandalized Sunday, the Menlo Park Fire Protection District said in a news release Monday night.

A suspect burned or damaged roughly a dozen of 343 American flags outside the station at 2290 University Ave.

The district placed 343 flags at all seven stations last week in honor of the New York City firefighters who died responding to the attacks.

Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman told The Daily News that the incident, which occurred at about 1:42 p.m., was captured by a surveillance camera and East Palo Alto police are reviewing the footage.

For Schapelhouman, who was part of the district’s search and rescue team sent to Manhattan in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the incident felt personal. He said he waited a day before writing up a report to give himself time to calm down.

“I don’t get angry easily, but knowing that someone tried to burn not only our flag memorial, but a specific tribute to 343 heroic fallen brothers, some of whom I personally knew, worked with and helped to look for at Ground Zero, and that this occurred here on the actual 15th anniversary date of this event, it’s a despicable act of disrespect and cowardice. It’s truly hard for me to comprehend, accept, and I need to stop myself there because I don’t want you to know what I’m thinking right now,” Schapelhouman said in the release.

Battalion Chief Ben Marra, who was also on the 9/11 team, said it’s fortunate the damage was not greater.

“Given the density of the flags on the pallet, it could have been much worse,” he said.

The district has replaced the burned and damaged flags.