3 Bravest with 9/11 ills perish

Three retired FDNY firefighters suffering from 9/11 illnesses died within 48 hours last week as the number of those succumbing to lethal toxins at Ground Zero continues to swell, officials and 9/11 survivor advocates said Saturday.

Retired Lt. Timothy O’Neill (middle) died Tuesday and Firefighter Kevin Lennon (bottom) on Wednesday, both from 9/11-related cancers — nearly 18 years after responding to the terror attacks.

Fire Marshal Michael Andreachi also died within the same time period, officials said.

Andreachi, 78 (top), had retired from the FDNY before 9/11, but joined the bucket brigades at Ground Zero. While he had a 9/11-related illness and was enrolled in the World Trade Center monitoring program, his death hadn’t been officially linked to his illness by Saturday, officials said.

“The incredible bravery and selfless service displayed at the World Trade Center continues to take the lives of far too many of our members,” FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said Saturday. “This is a painful reality for our department.”

Scores of firefighters are expected to attend Lennon’s funeral Tuesday on Long Island at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Greenlawn. O’Neill’s funeral is scheduled Friday at Sacred Heart Church on Staten Island.

Lennon, 54, spent most of his career at Ladder Co. 175, which served Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, members of the Uniformed Firefighters Association said.

“It’s another sad loss accredited to Sept. 11,” UFA President Gerard Fitzgerald told the Daily News. “We constantly have members in hospice or in the hospice and dealing with serious cancers.”

As he grieves for Lennon, Fitzgerald also marked the passing of O’Neill, whom he often played against in firehouse softball games.

“He was an umpire for a few years,” Fitzgerald fondly remembered. “He was a good guy, a proud firefighter with a real competitive spirit. We enjoyed our battles on the field.”

Attempts to reach the firefighters’ respective families were unsuccessful Saturday.

Their deaths come as 101 survivors who either responded to, or lived and worked near Ground Zero following the terror attacks have passed away from a 9/11 illness since September, survivor advocate John Feal said.

That’s a rate of about 12 a month — or three a week.