Firefighters remember N. Division St. explosion

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Buffalo's bravest are remembering their fallen brothers, who gave their lives on one of the department's darkest days.

In the original fire transmission call from December 27th, 1983, the night of the North Division Street explosion, you can hear the desperation in firefighters voices as they plea for as many ambulances as possible to be sent to the scene after the explosion. The dispatcher can only offer the reassurance that they would send all that they can.

Five Buffalo firefighters and two civilians were killed when a propane blast leveled a warehouse. The explosion damaged 12 city blocks and remains the department's deadliest fire in modern history. Firefighters have since held a moment of silence on that day year after year. The archived footage of the explosion shows how the entire city mourned the loss of the firefighters and the massive devastation caused by the powerful explosion.

Monday night, the Buffalo Fire dispatcher marked the moment, saying, "27 years ago on this date, December 27th 1983, at 20:23 hours, five of our brothers responded to their last alarm. We invite all members of the department and all those monitoring this announcement to observe a moment of silence in their memory, and in the memory of all who have died in the line of duty."