Local punk rockers Dropkick Murphys took the stage at a sold-out event Friday in Worcester, Massachusetts, to raise funds for the family of fallen fire Lt. Jason Menard, who died saving others during a fire earlier this month.
Menard was laid to rest Monday, when thousands of firefighters lined the streets to say goodbye to the 39-year-old firefighter and father of three, who died battling a 4-alarm blaze.
Menard's family was on hand Friday night as the city and the Dropkick Murphys honored him.
"The family said Jay would be so pissed that he wasn't here, and I said, 'He's here. He's watching.' And I believe that," said Ken Casey, one of the band's lead singers.
"It's heartbreaking. It really is," said Thomas Germain, a friend of Menard's. "Don't want to believe it, but you know, it's real."
Menard died in the line of duty on Nov. 13 when his "heroic efforts" helped two fellow firefighters escape from a burning home after they responded to a report of a person and baby trapped on the third floor.
The lieutenant led a probationary firefighter to the stairs and returned to the burning scene to help another firefighter out of a window and was ultimately unable to escape, according to Worcester Fire Chief Michael Lavoie.
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