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FDNY Honors 3 Firefighters Killed In 2001 Father's Day Fire

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- On Thursday, the FDNY honored three firefighters who lost their lives in a Father's Day fire 20 years ago.

The FDNY gathered in Astoria, Queens, to lay a wreath at the site where Harry Ford, Brian Fahey and John Downing died.

They were killed while trying to put out a fire in a hardware store. An explosion caused the building to collapse.

"It was a day that broke all of our hearts with eight children suddenly left without their beloved fathers. They were away from their own families on duty protecting others," FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said.

Ford had been a firefighter for 27 years, Fahey 14 and Downing had 11 years with the department.

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