Former Newton firefighter Raymond McNamara, age 79, died peacefully at home on January 11.
In 1993 an absolutely horrific series of events unfolded at a fire at the manufacturing plant of H.C. Starck, in a building off Needham St. The plant used pure metallic sodium as part of its process, a material that is extremely unstable and reacts violently when coming in contact with any amount of water, even water vapor in the air. The plant was disposing of the metallic sodium at the bottom of a steel drum, as they often did, when something went horribly wrong and there was a violent explosion which breached the “blast proof” door of the chamber.
Three companies of the Newton Fire Dept quickly arrived on scene. The FD was quite familiar with the H.C. Starck plant and were aware of the extremely dangerous issues surrounding this kind of fire. For this kind of fire, water was the equivalent of gasoline for a normal fire. The fire could only be put out by shoveling salt on to the burning metal while avoiding any water of any kind coming in contact with the material. In the face of these extremely dangerous conditions a contingent of Newton fireman proceeded into the breached chamber to get the situation under control and extinguish the fire.
Once in the chamber, they dumped the first shovel full of salt onto the burning sodium and there was an explosion and a huge fireball that tore through the entire area of the building, horribly burning some of the firefighters including Ray McNamara and sending eleven firefighters to the hospital, most for acute injuries. In an after-the-incident-analysis, FEMA concluded that the fault lay clearly with H.C. Starck, both with their process and the fact that they hadn’t relayed complete and very important information to the Newton FD about the conditions in the building.
Ray McNamara was one of those brave fire fighters who arrived that night and entered willingly and knowingly into what they all knew to be an intensely dangerous situation – to keep the rest of us safe. McNamara was standing next to the drum when it exploded. He was the worst injured of all the firefighters and sustained horrible burns over 90% of his body. He was not expected to live. He spent 14 months in the hospital, lost his nose, his ears, his sight, and underwent 30 operations.
Remarkably he did survive, even more remarkably years later he decided to try skydiving. I never met Mr McNamara but he sounds like one amazing guy and was clearly beloved by his fellow firemen
Rest in peace Raymond McNamara and thank you
An absolute hero. RIP
Very sad news. An amazing man.
Thank you for sharing this story, and I hope Mr. McNamara rests in peace.
Until the 1970s the Needham Street area was mostly industrial, and HC Stark was one of the last operating factories when the fire happened in 1993. A lot of heroes showed up for work that night, including Ray McNamara.
Perhaps one already exists, but I am unaware of any memorial commemorating the selfless bravery displayed by those who fought the fire at HC Stark. That omission strikes me as something the city should rectify.
Mike, there is not a memorial from this incident. With the redevelopment in the area, I think the opportunity could happen one day. One of our firefighters did make a plaque, it is at our Fire Station 4. It is hung alongside many other firefighter memorials on the wall.
We also uploaded our “Special Signal 10-15” (a radio signal we give out over the fire radio whenever a member of our department passes away). That can be viewed on our Department Instagram and Twitter accounts @newtonfiredept
One of the results of that tragic incident was the change of firefighter gear. After the event, many departments (including Newton) shifted to all encapsulated gear, that you are familiar with.
Ray was an inspiration for many of us on the department. He always fought and broke through the countless challenges; and was an active member, attending firefighter funerals, fundraisers and events. He will be missed.
Thank you all for the support.
A hero! So sorry to hear about his death
I had the pleasure of knowing Ray he was an extraordinary man, a true inspiration to mankind.
Godspeed Ray , thank you for everything you have done , your amazing courage to persevere after such an incredibly horrific injury while serving and protecting our community.
Ray was so brave!
Ray God Bless – and now you may rest .
Ray McNamara was such a brave firefighter and he endured such horrible burns after this accident. I did not know Ray but always heard about how brave he was. RIP Ray.
I had the honor of knowing Ray For over 30 yeas after the explosion. He was a hero he lived his life fully even with all his medical challenges. RIP Ray
Rest in peace, Ray. Thank you for your dedication and selfless actions as a fire fighter.
Not a day goes by that I don’t think of Ray. I miss his friendship, counsel, humor and kindness. I had the luck and pleasure of working with him on the Newton Fire Department. If I thought I was having a bad day, I thought what had Ray gone through, and I shook myself out of it. He truly was one of a kind.