Funeral Planned For Firefighter Who Died In Williamsburg Fire
Image: FDNY
The life of a firefighter is one filled with constant danger, but it doesn’t make tragedy in that line of work any less hard to swallow. We learned that difficult lesson yet again when Lieutenant Gordon “Matt” Ambelas, a 14-year veteran of the FDNY’s Ladder Co. 119, was killed while searching for victims in a Williamsburg high rise fire this weekend.
On Saturday night, Ambelas–a 40-year-old husband and father of two–rushed into the Independence Towers on Wilson Street and Wythe Avenue in South Williamsburg where a fire was burning on the 19th floor. While searching for victims, Ambelas was trapped in an apartment and suffered fatal injuries. Apparently, the fire was caused by an air conditioner cord pinched between a wall and a bed frame in a messy, junk-filled apartment, the Daily News reported today.
Ambelas’ wake will be held this Thursday at the Casey McCallum Rice Funeral Home in Staten Island on Tuesday and Wednesday from 2-4 pm and 7-9 pm. The funeral will take place at 11 am on Thursday at St. Clare’s Church, located a block away from the funeral home.
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