LEWISTON — The city’s firefighters will dedicate a memorial on Saturday to the nine Lewiston firefighters killed in the line of duty over the last century.

The dedication will be held at 10 a.m. at the Central Station on College Street. The public is invited to attend. 

Located in front of Central Station, the two-and-a-half ton granite monument stands more than 7 feet tall and is more than 6 feet wide. It is engraved with the names of the nine Lewiston firefighters, including two killed in 1909 when a wall collapsed during the Callahan Block fire.

Area fire departments are scheduled to provide fire coverage Saturday morning to allow all Lewiston firefighters to attend the dedication. About 30 of the fallen firefighters’ surviving family members are also expected to attend, including relatives of a firefighter who was killed when Lewiston and Auburn firetrucks collided in 1949, and the widow of a firefighter who died of a heart attack while fighting a fire in 1967.

For at least 25 years, the names of the nine firefighters had been listed on a plaque hanging inside Central Station, but about two years ago Lewiston firefighters decided they wanted a larger, more public memorial. The $12,000 memorial and groundwork was paid for by the firefighters’ association

Saturday’s dedication is expected to last about an hour and include comments by the department’s chaplain, the mayor and the fire chief. The fire department’s honor guard is also scheduled to attend.

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