Tributes pour in after death of three firemen in Caseros
One of the three Caseros firemen who died in a tragic fire last Tuesday, Cristian Damián “El Gordo” Ragazzoni, 35, always dreamed of being a fireman just like his dad.
His unexpected death along with his mates Pablo Javier Silva, 47, and Héctor Gabriel Fedeli, 49, flooded the social networks with hundreds of messages while the sight of the neighbours, colleagues and families of the victims lining up at the fire station on Rauch Street was moving.
The three firemen perished when trying to put out a fire in a building on San Martín Avenue 1300 in Caseros in the Greater Buenos Aires district of Tres de Febrero. The fire apparently originated with a short circuit on the fifth floor.
“A fuse which overheated and the owner tried to put out with water,” said a spokesman.
According to police sources, Ragazzoni was reported dead on arrival while Silva y Fedelli were rushed into emergency care. A few hours later the doctors reported the death of Fedelli, followed later by Silva, all before 5pm on Tuesday afternoon.
Ragazzoni, who entered the Federal Police in late 2012, was the least experienced while Silva and Fedeli were veterans.
“As a kid he wanted to be a fireman like his dad, we’re going to miss our fat friend. Our condolences to the Ragazzoni family and all the Destacamento N°2 de Caseros fire brigade,” a fireman posted in his Facebook account, while a friend of Silva posted: “Thanks forever, we’ll
miss them.”
Silva, the last of the three to die in intensive care in the Ramón Carrillo Hospital, was an auxiliary officer with two children and a sense of vocation. Besides being a fireman, he worked with the Boy Scout group in the Nuestra Señora de Lourdes parish in Tres de Febrero.
Fedeli supplemented his
work as a fireman by selling cakes and children’s clothing.
The sirens of fire stations nationwide sounded at 9am the next morning in tribute to those who died in the tragedy of Caseros while Buenos Aires Governor Axel Kicillof decreed three days of mourning. Flags nationwide and in all Buenos Aires provincial buildings were at half-mast.