Funerals for Fallen Firefighters Begin

American flags were draped from extended ladders on firetrucks and 30 bagpipers played Monday as the casket of a fallen fire chief was carried by Engine 451 to its final resting place. Mount Ephraim Fire Chief James Sylvester and two other firefighters died July 4 fire in Gloucester City after a burning duplex they entered to rescue three sisters collapsed. The girls, a 5-year-old and twin 3-year-olds, were also killed.

About 1,500 firefighters, many from as far away as Georgia and Iowa, attended the funeral at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church. Loudspeakers were set up outside so the overflow crowd and residents lining the streets could listen to the service.

"We celebrate the life of our brother, our fallen comrade who gave to the 'nth' degree so that human lives may be saved," said the Rev. Fred Link, a childhood friend of Sylvester who gave the eulogy.

Among the firefighters in attendance were several from New York City, which lost more than 300 of its own after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"Any time a fireman dies, it's a major tragedy," said Jim Butler, a firefighter in Queens. "Anybody that makes the supreme sacrifice, it's a tragedy, whether it's one or 343."

Mount Ephraim Fire Chief James Sylvester was killed trying to rescue three girls from a burning house on July 4th.

Sylvester, 31, joined the fire department as a junior member when he was 14. His wife Marilyn is expecting their first child next month. Escorted by friends and family, she walked behind her husband's casket as she left the funeral Mass.

Anthony Spagliano, a spokesman for the Mount Ephraim Fire Department, said before the service that Sylvester's comrades would carry out one last command from their fallen chief.

"His last assignment to us is to help his wife Marilyn raise their child, and we will do that," Spagliano said.

Businesses and homes in the Philadelphia suburb of 11,500 displayed signs, one of which read "God bless our fallen heroes."

A funeral for Mount Ephraim Deputy Chief John D. West was scheduled for Tuesday and a service for Gloucester City firefighter Thomas G. Stewart III was scheduled for Wednesday.

A funeral for the girls – Alexandra, Claudia and Colletta Slack – was scheduled for Thursday.

Their mother, Katia "Tia" Williamson, 24, remains in critical condition at Crozer Chester Medical Center in Upland, Pa. Williamson tried to wake the girls and their father, Frank Slack, after she came home and noticed smoke. Slack, 27, escaped with only minor injuries.

Authorities have said the fire was being handled as a criminal investigation, but federal agents have found no evidence of arson.

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Author: 6 ABC-AP