Firefighter Killed in Harlem Blaze Praised as a ‘Hero of the Highest Order’

NEW YORK — American flags waved overhead and a phalanx of firefighters lined both sides of Fifth Avenue on Tuesday morning as an engine carrying the coffin of one of their own, Lt. Michael R. Davidson, approached St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Midtown Manhattan, escorted by two ladder trucks, one bearing the nickname of his engine company, the “Harlem Hilton.”

Cardinal Timothy Dolan stood atop the stairs in front of the cathedral Tuesday as the trucks approached followed by a drum corps and the engine truck draped in bunting. The engine truck stopped in front of the church, the drums stopped and several minutes of silence followed, before Dolan led a procession carrying the coffin into the church for the funeral Mass

Dolan, in his homily, said that as Jesus Christ sacrificed his life to save believers from spiritual flames, Davidson gave his to save people from earthly ones. The firefighter, he said, was “a man whose name radiates goodness, valor and virtue as sparkling as the badge he wears.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio, in a eulogy, praised Davidson as a “hero of the highest order,” who showed exceptional strength, compassion for others and fearless leadership at work, at home and in his community.

In poignant remarks directed to Davidson’s children, de Blasio told them their dad’s spirit would remain with them and sustain them in difficult times.

“He will never leave you,” de Blasio said.

Davidson, a 15-year veteran, was overcome by smoke Thursday night as his unit retreated from the intensifying flames of a fire in a basement in Harlem. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

Following his death, he was promoted to lieutenant, the 1,150th firefighter in the 153-year history of the department to die in the line of duty.

Daniel A. Nigro, the fire commissioner, said Davidson demonstrated an “unwavering dedication to duty” in his work as the nozzle man, a coveted role among firefighters. Just two years after joining the department, he distinguished himself early when he charged into a three-alarm fire that had engulfed several stories of a building and was spreading. Despite serious burns on his hands, he did not retreat, Nigro said, and it was one of the four times that Davidson was cited for bravery.

“It was clear from the very beginning of his career that he was special,” Nigro said. “Mike commanded every situation and led his fellow firefighters into battle. He wasn’t their captain. He wasn’t their lieutenant. But he was without question, a leader.”

Directly across from the cathedral, Calvin Hunt, 56, of Harlem, stood behind a barricade holding a placard bearing Davidson’s photograph. Beside him, Hunt’s 10-year-old son, Cameron, held a sign with a Fire Department insignia and a message reading “God bless the bravest.”

“I’m from Harlem and Lt. Davidson was part of Harlem,” said Hunt, a retired chef who used to frequent the former St. Nick’s Jazz Pub, where the fire broke out. Hunt said he encountered the firefighter in July at a summer block party that the engine company held at their firehouse as a regular part of their neighborhood outreach. “He stood out,” Hunt said of Davidson. “It was his personality, his character. He was full of fun.”

He died fighting a basement fire in the landmark building in the Sugar Hill section of Harlem. He was among the first to respond to calls from a film crew working in the building of smoke and flames coming from the cellar.

Davidson and others encountered heavy flames and smoke as they approached the source of the fire, and were forced to retreat when sirens on their oxygen tanks indicated their air supplies were low. But Davidson apparently became separated from the “hard line” his colleagues used to find their way to safety, and he collapsed on the floor above the fire. He was found with his mask off, as if he had removed it after running out of oxygen, and he was taken to Harlem Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead early Friday morning.

Two other firefighters were injured with burns in the fire and three civilians were treated for smoke inhalation. Hours before the funeral, contractors began tearing down the Harlem building, at 773 St. Nicholas Ave., which the city deemed too unstable to stand. The demolition will also allow investigators to look for the origin of the fire inside the basement and cellar.

The basement had been the home of the long-standing jazz club, until it was closed after a police raid in 2011. The crew of an Edward Norton film, “Motherless Brooklyn,” was filming in the former club when crew members smelled smoke and prompted the evacuation of the set and the apartments above.

Davidson left behind a wife and four young children, and came from a family of firefighters; his father and brother are also members of the department.