Thousands Honor Fallen Baltimore FD Trio

Baltimore Sun

On their way to a home fire early in the morning of Jan. 24, Baltimore firefighters Lt. Paul Butrim, Kenny Lacayo, and Lt. Kelsey Sadler received the dispatch: Someone was trapped inside the building, said Edward Kelly, general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters.

“They were told that somebody — some resident of West Baltimore that they had never met — was in danger of dying,” Kelly said Wednesday during a memorial service for the trio. “And they decided that somebody was worth dying for.”

All three died when that abandoned rowhouse in Southwest Baltimore collapsed with them inside. One other firefighter, John McMaster, was hospitalized for several days with injuries he sustained during the blaze, which is among the deadliest for first responders in Baltimore history.

“Today really is about them, and their families and lifting them up and supporting them, giving them the hero send-off that they deserve,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said Wednesday morning.

The service in Baltimore’s Convention Center, which began with the songs of a Morgan State University choir, carried on with the music of bagpipes, as the three American flag-draped caskets were brought forth with an honor guard.

Fire personnel from around the region traveled to Baltimore to honor their fallen comrades, along with firefighters from Chicago, Detroit, California, Canada, and France.

“We thank all of the departments, everyone that has called. The president of the United States called me,” Scott said. “We have the full support of our country and the world right now.”

For the first time in history, all Baltimore City firefighters were out of service Wednesday to attend the funeral, according to a tweet from the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 734, and crews from other parts of the state and Washington, D.C. were filling in.

“I also want to take this opportunity to thank all the organizations outside this city that came in this city in order for all of our members to gather here today and begin the healing process,” Baltimore City Fire Chief Niles Ford said before the service.

Seventy city fire engines and ambulances will join the procession following the funeral, said fire department spokeswoman Blair Adams, which will wind through downtown Baltimore and up Interstate 83 to Timonium’s Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens.

Starting at South Sharp Street downtown and filling West Camden Street, firefighters will form a “sea of blue” and salute the procession.

The loss of Butrim, Lacayo, and Sadler marks the first line of duty deaths for the Baltimore City Fire Department since 2014, when Lt. James Bethea died of smoke inhalation after falling through a floor at a vacant rowhouse.

Tuesday, hundreds attended a viewing for Lacayo and Sadler, both members of Engine Company 14. Viewings for Butrim will take place Thursday and Friday at the Schimunek Funeral Home in Bel Air.

Lacayo, a 30-year-old Silver Spring native, joined the Baltimore Fire Department in 2014 as a firefighter and paramedic. Sadler, a 16-year veteran of the department, joined after graduating high school in Harford County. She was 33 years old. Butrim, 37, also a Harford County native, became a Baltimore City firefighter in 2006.

In an obituary, Butrim’s family remembered him as a tireless worker, who studied hard to become a lieutenant in 2016.

“In his own mind, he wasn’t anyone special,” the obituary read. “He did his job and took care of his family.”

But Butrim stood out. In 2015, he rescued an unconscious young child from an apartment fire and performed one-person CPR until he could get her to safety, earning an Exemplary Performance Award.

An avid Red Sox and NASCAR fan, Butrim also loved camping with his wife Rachel and their late son — with a travel trailer called “Campy” and a speedy golf cart in tow.

In her obituary, Sadler was remembered as “one badass firefighter.”

“Our girl was a go-getter, a DIY project boss, a best friend, a party planner, a lover of all animals, and someone we all enjoyed being around,” her obituary read.

Family was always her priority, including husband Brandon and stepdaughter Mila.

“How lucky are we to have had someone that makes saying good-bye so hard,” the obituary read.

Lacayo was remembered for his “bright smile and unfailing good nature.” He received several awards for his work as a paramedic, including his lifesaving actions in responding to a pedestrian hit by a car in 2018.

“He would always be the person you look for when you have a bad day because his infectious smile would make your day better in seconds,” his obituary read. “He was the type of person to work a 24hr shift and instead of going home to rest he would spend his time with family and friends.”

Jeffrey Chaney, a military veteran injured in combat, said Baltimore fire personnel recently helped him when his power scooter died and he had a seizure. Beyond taking him to the hospital, city fire personnel charged his scooter and fed his cat, he said.

”I would never miss this,” Chaney said outside the Convention Center. “This is the epitome of respect. Three people lost at one time for running into a burning building looking for people who might need help.”

January’s deadly fire, which took place in the 200 block of South Stricker Street, is being investigated by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. A reward for a “person of interest” captured on video near the scene of the blaze before it took place ballooned to $100,000 last week with contributions from the state, localities and firefighters’ unions.

In the wake of the tragedy, the issue of vacant homes has come under renewed scrutiny in Baltimore. There are more than 15,000 in the city, the vast majority of them privately owned, according to city data. The city has long battled to take control of abandoned homes with absent owners via receivership cases, and rehabilitate or demolish them.

Earlier this week, Scott announced a citywide review of efforts to address vacant homes. He said the city is on track to file 500 receivership cases by the end of June, and that recommendations from the review could improve that figure.

“Anything less than our very best attempt at solving the problem would be a discredit to the lives of the brave firefighters we lost last week and the residents we serve day in and day out,” Scott said in a news release.