9/11 FIREMAN DIES

Tilearcio fought tirelessly to save Zadroga Act

THE FIRST TIME QUEENS firefighter Robert Tilearcio traveled to Washington, D.C., to fight for the extension of the Zadroga Act, he stood on his own two feet.

The last time he went to the Capitol, he was in a wheelchair, a victim of a 9/11-related illness — the very threat he had worked to protect his brothers from.

Tilearcio, 58, died of a brain tumor on Wednesday, his heartbroken family said.

He joins a growing list of first responders who have died from illnesses linked to their sifting through the remains of the World Trade Center, looking for survivors.

“He died on the same day that we met in 1983,” his widow, Tina Tilearcio, told the Daily News as she prepared for his funeral.

Tilearcio (photo) went to Washington about six times to fight for an extension of the Zadroga Act in 2014 and 2015 — even before he was diagnosed with a fatal tumor.

“In the beginning he was doing it for others, never knowing that he was fighting for something he would eventually need himself,” his wife said. The Zadroga Act, which offers health care and compensation for 9/11 illness sufferers, will continue through 2090, advocates said.

Tilearcio grew up in a family of firefighters. He joined the department in 1983 and was still assigned to Engine Company 266 in Rockaway Beach, Queens, when he died, his wife said. When terrorists flew jumbo jets into the towers, Tilearcio rushed to lower Manhattan and stayed at Ground Zero for more than 48 hours on the bucket brigade, family members said.

“Firefighter Robert Tilearcio was undoubtedly one of New York City’s Bravest, and it is with great sadness that we mourn his death today,” Uniformed Firefighter Association President Gerard Fitzgerald said in a statement.

Tilearcio is the 15th FDNY member to die from a 9/11 illness this year. Authorities say 159 FDNY personnel and 133 NYPD members have died from 9/11-linked illnesses..

Services will be held Friday at Massapequa Funeral Home in Massapequa, L.I.