Philadelphia

Viewings, Funeral Scheduled for Fallen Philadelphia Firefighter

He died last week when a building collapsed following a fire in the Fairhill neighborhood

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Two public viewings and a funeral are now scheduled for a Philadelphia firefighter who died when a fire-damaged building collapsed.

The first viewing for Lt. Sean Williamson will take place Sunday at the Epiphany of Our Lord Church, while the second viewing and funeral will happen the next day at the same church, the Philadelphia Fire Department said.

Williamson, a 27-year veteran of the department, was last assigned to Ladder 18 in the Nicetown-Tioga neighborhood, the PFD said. He died last week when a building collapsed following a fire in the Fairhill neighborhood.

Four other firefighters and a Licensing and Inspections Department inspector had also been trapped but were pulled alive from the rubble, 1st Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy said.

Williamson had one son. Before joining the PFD, he was a Marine, the department said.

At the department, he taught the fire academy, served with the specialized Rescue 1 company and was a member of PA-Task Force 1, the federal urban search-and-rescue team sponsored by the PFD, the department said.

The Epiphany of Our Lord Church is located at 1121 Jackson St. in Philadelphia. Mourners can pay their respects from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. They are encouraged to park in Lot T at Citizens Bank Park, where a shuttle bus will take them to Broad and Jackson streets, about three blocks from the church.

Uniformed fire personnel, meanwhile, can ride for free on SEPTA's Broad Street Line from NRG Station at Pattison Avenue to Snyder Avenue, a few blocks from the church.

On Monday, a walking procession will accompany Williamson from 10th and Snyder streets to the church. That procession begins at 8:30 a.m.

Another viewing is then scheduled from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., after which there will be a funeral mass. The parking and transit arrangements will be the same as Sunday’s viewing.

Following the mass, there will be a vehicle procession traveling via Interstate 95, Interstate 676, Roosevelt Boulevard and Wissahickon Avenue to Engine 59/Ladder 18/Medic 4 at 2201 W. Hunting Park Ave.

The procession will then travel east on Hunting Park and turn right (south) on Broad Street until it reaches the Stolfo Funeral Home on 2536 S. Broad Street.

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