BALTIMORE — Tuesday marks one year since the tragic deaths of three Baltimore City firefighters, but for many it felt like it was just yesterday.
Doctors were out in front of Shock Trauma sharing they'd done all they could do, but three of Baltimore's bravest didn't survive that deadly fire.
RELATED: City prosecutors reviewing evidence linked to Stricker Street fire that killed three firefighters
Flags at each Baltimore City fire station are flying at half-staff to honor the fallen brothers and sister in uniform.
"I remember somewhere after 5 in the morning. I heard a lot of fire trucks, ambulances and stuff on Stricker and Fairmont," recalled William Head in the Mount Clare community.
The deadly fire on South Stricker Street was the source of tragedy across Baltimore, uniting firefighters and families from across the entire country.
Standing in remembrance of the fallen heroes a year later, are memorials adorned with their pictures, their names, kind messages and flowers.
RELATED: Memorial garden now stands where fallen Baltimore firefighters last stood
Tuesday, Baltimore City firefighters attended an early-morning private service remembering their own, taking a moment to reflect as flags fly at half-staff at each station across the city honoring Lieutenant Kelsey Sadler who served 15 years.
"She was the best hugger, hug so strong you felt like she would bruise you," Sadler's sister remembered at the joint memorial service.
Lieutenant Paul Butrim served 16 years.
"In 2015, Paul was honored by firehouse magazine with a valor award after he located a child trapped face down in an apartment fire," Union President Josh Fannin also shared at the service.
Firefighter and EMT Lenny Lacayo spent 7 years fighting fires.
"The Kenny who would ask me before he said yes to an overtime shift, the gentle soul who wouldn't let me open any doors," Lacayo's fiancé remembered.
Ryan Hill came to the Stricker Street memorial garden to pay his respect to Sadler who he served with.
"Kelsey was really outgoing, a lot of fun to be around. She was just a blast to be around and hang out with a lot. Definitely involved in the community. Her and her sister were inseparable," said Hill.
The memorial garden now serves as space for healing while others create special memorials as well, like a replica of Engine 14.
"Just my way of paying respects to the fallen firefighters. Normally being a firefighter, you have close ties to the station you served at or the fire apparatus, so I decided to station these three firefighters served at as a lasting memorial for them," the creator of the replica shared with WMAR-2 News.
Solving the issue, at the center of heartbreak though, is still a work in progress by the city.
"With the vacant homes something's got to be done. It's ridiculous [how] many there are. Some of the dangers that are in these things, they're unknown," said Hill.
The city's issue with more than 15,000 vacant homes, like the one that stood on South Stricker, has been under scrutiny since before that tragedy but highlighted even more after it.
The Mount Clare community is hopeful the memorial they created serves as an example of what can be done to create to replace vacant structures and lots across the city.
