Jessica Bravo
New Haven Register, Conn.
(TNS)
Sep. 29—NEW HAVEN — City officials said a ceremony was held on Saturday to rename the area in front of the Dixwell firehouse at Goffe and Webster streets after a firefighter who died fighting a fire in May of 2021.
Firefighter Ricardo Torres Jr. was killed while fighting a house fire in the 100 block of Valley Street, according to fire officials. Several people were injured while being rescued from the flames, but Torres lost his life. Officials said that Torres got lost in the building after becoming disoriented and was found on the ground unconscious. Ultimately, officials said Torres helped rescue two lives that day.
Earlier this year, a unanimous vote approved of the order to rename the area in corner “Ricardo Torres Jr. Way,” officials said.
“By doing this, we not only honor Ricardo’s memory but we honor the sacrifice of his family,” Fire Chief John Alston Jr. said. “It is a message from the city and our community that you recognize the good work of the members of the New Haven Fire Department, particularly in the Dixwell station.”
Fire officials said Torres served at the department since February 2018 and was promoted to lieutenant shortly before his death.
Torres, who was 30, left behind his pregnant wife, Erica Martinez, and a son named Oliver, his obituary said.
The ceremony was livestreamed on Mayor Justin Elicker’s Facebook page.
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