3 die as 9/11 pain persists

TWO RETIRED NYPD cops and an upstate fire battalion chief, who were among the many first responders to rush to Ground Zero after 9/11, have died.

NYPD Lt. William Wanser, Detective Pedro Esponda and Watertown Fire Battalion Chief David Lachenauer (insets, top to bottom) — all retired — succumbed to cancer over the weekend, according to family and friends.

Wanser, who joined the NYPD in 1984, died Sunday after a yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 60.

“He has been my rock and the love of my life for 39 years,” Wanser’s wife, Susyn Bitz Wanser, wrote on Facebook.

“A nicer, braver man and police officer never existed. First responder out of Brooklyn gave all for us,” wrote Tom MacLean on Facebook.

Lachenauer died Friday after battling cancer for a year. He was 61.

As a firefighter, Lachenauer worked for three days to clear the rubble left by the World Trade Center terrorist attacks.

“He was there during the worst, risking his life in hopes of saving others,” his obituary reads.

Lachenauer joined the Watertown Fire Department in 1985. He retired as battalion chief three weeks before his death.

Esponda, who joined the NYPD in 1982, died Sunday. He was 60.

Esponda was a detective with the 71st Precinct before he retired, according to friends. “He always had a smile on his face,” wrote Abraham Narvaez on Facebook.

Their deaths come roughly a week after two city firefighters, Thomas Phelan and Keith Young, died of Sept. 11-related illnesses. Phelan, who was on active duty when he died March 16, joined the FDNY in 2003. He was a tour ship pilot on Sept. 11, and turned his boat into a rescue vessel to save hundreds of people after the attacks.