Thousands Mourn 6 Firefighters

Firefighters and police from across the country paid tribute Saturday to six firefighters who were killed in an explosion blamed on arsonists.

“They were willing and able to take risks in their everyday jobs for our protection, risks most of us would never dream of taking,” Mayor Richard Berkley told the mourners.

Relatives of the six firefighters wiped away tears during parts of the hourlong ceremony at Arrowhead Stadium. Flower arrangements covered the field, where the Kansas City Chiefs play.

An estimated 2,500 firefighters and public safety officers--including hundreds from out of state--and 5,000 private citizens attended, a Fire Department spokesman said.

The firefighters died Tuesday when about 50,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate, a blasting agent, exploded at a highway construction site. They had responded to a report that a pickup truck and construction trailer were on fire.

“As firefighters, we see death, destruction, pain and sorrow all the time,” said Alfred Whitehead, president of the International Assn. of Firefighters. “We don’t usually share it with anyone else, just ourselves. But that doesn’t mean we don’t laugh, we don’t love, we don’t cry, and we don’t hurt.”

The men who died were Capts. Gerald C. Halloran, 57, and James H. Kilventon Jr., 54, and firefighters Thomas McKarnin, 42, Thomas M. Fry, 41, Michael R. Oldham, 32, and Luther E. Hurd, 31.