The Delaware County Fallen Firefighter and EMS Memorial Committee will join forces with The Toxic Fire 0f 1978 Committee for a fundraiser to be held at Bootleggers of Ridley on May 8th 2010 from 5pm-8pm.  The fundraiser is planned to raise money to build the memorial at the site of the fire in the City of Chester.   To purchase tickets or make a donation, contact Bill Richard at 610-636-8296 or go online to www.thetoxicfireof1978.com.
 

Special Thanks to Choice Marketing for donating the tickets and posters.

A brief history of the Toxic Fire of 1978

On February 2, 1978, a cataclysmic fire erupted at 1 Flower Street in the City of Chester, PA. What was originally thought by the first responding crews to be a fire at a rubber reclaiming operation was soon revealed to be one of the most disastrous surreptitious chemical fires in United States history in which 3 million gallons of toxic waste from 49 separate companies was haphazardly and secretly dumped.

In fact, the seed for the EPA Superfund program came from what was to become known as the “Wade Dump Fire”. Even today, emergency responders from that fire are dealing with tragic illnesses including rare cancers and blood disorders that continue to linger.Many others have died from these and other illnesses believed to be a result of
this fire.

Memorial at Site of Fire
An area at Front & Flower Streets, the site of the Toxic Fire of 1978, has been set aside for the placement of a memorial. Working in cooperation with the Delaware County Fallen Firefighters and EMS Memorial and the City of Chester, the TF78 group strives to make this memorial a reflection of the gift of courage and dedication these responders gave our community as well as a tribute and honor to those that have died.
The TF78 Memorial Foundation will continue to cooperate with the City of Chester to oversee the
sustained upkeep of the memorial placed at Front & Flower. The foundation also will be tasked with the
planning of annual ceremonies and outreach to families of victims.