On January 8, the Fire Department of the City
of New York held a funeral service for Lieutenant John Martinson
of Engine Company 249, who was killed in the line of duty on
January 4, 2008. During a second alarm blaze, Lieutenant
Martinson was found unconscious on the fourteenth floor of the
Ebbets Field Housing Complex in Brooklyn. He died as a result of
his injuries that were sustained at the fire, which appears to
have been started by a six-year-old boy.
Lieutenant Martinson leaves behind his wife Jessica, his
22-month-old son John Patrick. His wife is also pregnant with
their second child. Four brother firefighters were also injured
and hospitalized with smoke inhalation and burns. The fire was
brought under control by the one hundred plus firefighters who
responded to this tragic call.
-Fire News photos by Steve White
