After a family tragedy, Denis Leary's foundation donated $17.5 million

On December 3, 1999, six Worcester, Massachusetts, firefighters died while searching a vacant cold-storage and warehouse building where two people were believed to be trapped. Among the six were Firefighter Jeremiah Lucey, Denis Leary's cousin, and Lieutenant Thomas Spencer, a childhood friend of the actor and comedian. Less than a year later, Leary established the Leary Firefighters Foundation. Since 2000, the foundation says it has donated more than $17.5 million to help fire departments obtain equipment, training facilities and technology. Its work has continued for more than two decades, with grants supporting departments and firefighter organisations in communities across the United States.The Worcester Cold Storage fire of 1999 that led to the Leary Firefighters FoundationThe Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse fire began on December 3, 1999, in a six-story building that had been vacant for years. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, the building was a maze-like cold-storage and warehouse structure. Firefighters entered after reports that two homeless people might be inside. The first alarm was received at 6:15 p.m., when the fire...