2 firefighters killed after saving residents from burning apartment building

The Royals paid tribute to the Kansas City Fire Department with T-shirts at their Tuesday workout in wake of the deaths of two firefighters in a blaze on Monday night. One was treated and released while the second was being kept in the hospital for observation overnight.

The killed firefighters were Larry Leggio, a 17-year veteran, and John Mesh, a 13-year veteran, Kansas City Fire Chief Paul Berardi said at a news conference this morning, his voice trembling as he spoke. Crews were preparing for defensive attack when the collapse happened. The fallen wall trapped the four firefighters underneath debris.

Investigators haven’t said how the fire started.

“It didn’t fall like a normal collapse”.

“It didn’t fall like a normal collapse. It was actually pushed out at least 30 feet”. The Star noted that they were clearing an area that had a partially collapsed roof when the structure gave way. The first ambulance transporting a firefighter departed the scene at approximately 8:13 p.m., arriving at Truman Medical Center approximately five minutes later.

Despite efforts by paramedics, nurses and doctors, both firefighters were pronounced dead at the hospital. Leggio leaves behind a wife, a mother and many others.

Mesh’s pumper truck works out of Station 10. Mesh leaves behind a wife, four young daughters as well as many family members. According to multiple reports, the injured and deceased firefighters had rescued occupants of the building just prior to its collapse.

Kansas City Mayor Sly James said his thoughts and prayers were on the firefighters.

The two men have a combined 30 years of service together with the Kansas City Fire Department, but Tuesday afternoon FOX 4’s Dave D’Marko learned their bond was formed even before the brotherhood of the fire department. He lauded those who died for saving lives.

Growing up in Miami, Hosmer’s father worked for the Miami-Dade Fire Department in the Liberty City neighborhood. Two others were injured fighting the fire at the building that had businesses on the ground level and apartments above. “I would always go visit the guys, and just seeing the bond they have, there’s a lot of similarities to the bond we have here”. “This is the worst day”, Berardi said. “We never realized how unsafe the job was until we got a little older”, Hosmer said. “We will continue to do so into the future”.