State mourns 2 firefighters who died on duty
Two Pennsylvania firefighters who died in the line of duty last week were honored Wednesday in a memorial service that drew thousands of people.
The event at the York Expo Center was for York firefighters Ivan Flanscha and Zachary Anthony.
The memorial included a last-bell ceremony, and “Taps” was played.
The men were killed, and two others were injured, on March 22 when a large section of a wall at a former piano factory collapsed on them. The injured firefighters attended the memorial.
Flanscha, 50, and Anthony, 29, had been looking for hot spots and searching for the cause of an earlier blaze at the factory.
They were the 12th and 13th York Fire Department members to die in the line of duty. Their badge numbers are being retired.
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said the state mourns their loss, and urged people to honor all those in the fire services.
“To those who serve in these dangerous and needed roles, this is much more than a job. This is a calling. It is truly a calling,” Wolf said.
The head of the International Association of Fire Fighters presented the organization’s medal of honor to their families.
Flanscha had been a 20-year veteran of the department and onetime firefighter of the year. Survivors include a wife, three children and two stepchildren.
Anthony, who joined the department in 2010, was survived by his wife, parents and siblings.