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Nine firefighters were killed in the Line of Duty in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday during a fire and subsequent collapse at a warehouse owned by the Iron Mountain international company.
The names of the Firefighters are:
[indicates possible alternate spelling]
- Leonardo Arturo Day (55) – Firefighter Brigade of the Federal Police
- Anahí Garnica (27 years old) – Firefighter Brigade of the Federal Police
- Eduardo Adrián Canessa [Eduardo Conesa] (47) – Firefighter Brigade of the Federal Police
- Damián Béliz [Carlos Veliz] (33) – Firefighter Brigade of the Federal Police
- Maximiliano Martínez (32) – Firefighter Brigade of the Federal Police
- Juan Matías Monticelli (26) – Firefighter Brigade of the Federal Police
- Sebastián Campos [Campo] – Dardo Rocha Volunteer Firefighter
- Pedro Baricolo – Civil Defense of the City of Buenos Aires firefighter
- José Méndez – Civil Defense crew and/or Dardo Rocha Volunteer Firefighter
Hundreds of people were mourning today nine firefighters who yesterday died when fighting a gigantic fire that destroyed a warehouse in Barracas neighbourhood. The building belonged to Iron Mountain international company.
Different ceremonies were being held in the city and the province of Buenos Aires.
Six firefighters who belonged to the Federal Police force were being mourned since midnight at the police headquarters, in Belgrano avenue and Virrey Cevallos street.
Sergio Berni, the Secretary of National Security, said that investigators on the scene told him that the building burned quickly, and the walls collapsed suddenly and without a warning. His Buenos Aires City counterpart, Guillermo Montenegro, called the situation “complex” and that teams are still carefully examining the scene.
Rescue teams arrived but they were too late as the building was a complete loss, and it trapped the fallen firefighters inside. Officials and rescue personnel were seen weeping as they gathered near and around the site of the tragedy. Rescue teams eventually made their way through the rubble and recovered the bodies of the deceased.
If arson is found to be the cause, it will be the third time for the Boston-based firm. Previous fires, in New Jersey in 1997 and London in 2006, were also caused by arson. The building, in the Barracas barrio of Buenos Aires, was reportedly equipped with a sprinkler system as well as fire-detection devices.
The 1997 New Jersey fire destroyed an Iron Mountain Warehouse filled with corporate documents. Investigators spoke with scores of witnesses who refused to speculate on any theories about motivation for the arson.
In July 2006, a six-story warehouse on the outskirts of London went up in flames. The warehouse held the archives of over 600 customers, including files by several major London law firms. City fire investigators concluded the fire was caused by arson as well.
Photo: Gustavo Fidanza – Diario Popular
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZgwNT7CIj0#t=47
