Memorial unveiled for forgotten Boston fire

November 28th marks the 70th anniversary of one of Boston's lesser known fires that seems to have been overshadowed by the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub fire--the deadliest in U.S. history--a few weeks later. (Read the NFPA Journal story on the new Cocoanut Grove Coalition.) A new memorial is honoring the six firefighters who died from the forgotten blaze at the Luongo Restaurant in 1942.

According to the Boston Metro, the fire caused a deadly explosion and the building's side wall to collapse, trapping and killing firefighters on the scene. The memorial honoring the deceased will be unveiled today at a ceremony in East Boston. "Because of the Cocoanut Grove fire, people just forgot about these six firefighters, including me," Boston City Councilor Sal LaMattina told the Metro.

Looking for more information about Beantown fires? Check out Journal's feature story examining Boston's fire history and a video by Boston historian Stephanie Schorow discussing this history at the actual sites of these disasters: