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David P Holcombe, Sr.

Captain

On February 24th, 1991, Captain Holcombe was ordered by the Sector Commander to proceed up the tower of One Meridian Plaza in order to open the access doors to the roof to free the tower of smoke and ventilate the building. While performing this task, Captain Holcombe and two other firefighters became trapped on the 28th floor and died when their air supply was depleted.
photo of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial
David P Holcombe, Sr. was honored on the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Department information

Philadelphia Fire Department
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Age: 51
Rank: Captain
Classification: Career
Incident date: February 23, 1991
Date of death: February 24, 1991
Cause of fatal injury: Caught or Trapped
Nature of fatal injury: Asphyxiation
Activity type: Ventilation
Emergency duty: No
Duty type: On-Scene Fire

Last updated: February 03, 2015