Around Town

Scenes from Fallen Firefighter Edward Walsh’s Final Farewell

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Watertown-native and Boston Fire Lt. Edward Walsh was remembered Wednesday as a kind, caring man who was devoted to both of his families – his wife, kids and mother, as well as the Boston Fire Department. Walsh died in a fire in the Back Bay on March 26 along with firefighter Michael Kennedy, and on Wednesday his funeral was held in the church in which he was baptized 43 years ago – St. Patrick’s Church. Firefighting runs in the Walsh family, said Watertown Fire Chief Mario Orangio. His father, Ed Sr., was on the Watertown Fire Department, along with two of Walsh’s uncles.

Police/Fire

See Photos from the Wake for Fallen Boston Fire Lt. Edward Walsh

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Firefighters from around the country pay respects to fallen Boston Fire Lt. Edward Walsh, a Watertown Native. Photo by Charlie Breitrose
Firefighters from far and wide filed into St. Patrick’s Church in Watertown Square Tuesday to pay their respects to fallen Boston Fire Lt. Edward Walsh. 

The 43-year-old Watertown native died fighting a fire in the Back Bay last week. On Tuesday, the downtown streets of his hometown were devoid of cars, but filled with firefighters and police officers in dress uniforms.

They showed up by the bus full and marched to the church on Main Street, just down the street from Town Hall and Watertown Fire Headquarters. They came from Walsh’s department in Boston, and from Watertown – where his father and uncles worked and where his cousin and brother-in-law now work.They were joined by firefighters from around Massachusetts, the east coast and and across the country.

Around Town

Watertown Roads, Parking Restrictions for Fallen Firefighter’s Wake, Funeral

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Boston Fire Lt. Edward Walsh of Watertown will be remembered with a wake Tuesday and funeral Wednesday. Photo: Boston Fire Dept. Fallen Boston Firefighter and Watertown native Edward Walsh will be remembered with a wake on Tuesday and funeral on Wednesday, causing some roads in Watertown Square to be closed and parking restrictions.The Watertown Police Department announced a list of roads to be closed during the services for Lt. Walsh, one of two Boston firefighters killed last week in a fire in the Back Bay. He graduated from Watertown High School in 1989 and his mother worked for the school district, according to School Committee Chairwoman Eileen Hsu-Balzer. The wake is Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at St.

Around Town

See Photos of the Procession for Fallen Boston Firefighter from Watertown

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Watertown residents came out of their homes, left their businesses early and lined Mt. Auburn Street to pay their respects for fallen Boston Fire Lt. Edward Walsh Friday evening. Joining the line of vehicles were Boston Fire trucks, including Walsh’s Engine 33 and Ladder 15, on which the other fallen Boston firefighter, Michael Kennedy, worked. Watertown Fire vehicles also rolled through town along with police vehicles from many departments, including Boston, Watertown, Newton, the State Police and more.

Around Town

Honor Fallen Boston Firefighter Walsh Today in Watertown

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A procession through Watertown will honor Boston Fire Lt. Edward Walsh who died in a fire on Wednesday. Watertown will honor fallen Boston Firefighter Edward J. Walsh – a Watertown native – on Friday, and the public is encouraged to come out and pay their respects.A funeral procession will come through Watertown as Walsh is carried from Boston to Stanton Funeral Home near the Cambridge line on Mt. Auburn Street. The procession will come down Galen Street, through Watertown Square and then up Mt. Auburn Street to the funeral home.

Police/Fire

Fallen Boston Firefighter Has Family on Watertown Fire Department

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Lt. Edward J. Walsh, one of the Boston firefighters killed in the 9-alarm blaze in the Back Bay on Wednesday, has family on the Watertown Fire Department.  

Walsh, 43, of West Roxbury, and firefighter Michael Kennedy, 33 of Hyde Park, died in the basement of a brownstone on Beacon Street when flames flared up in a backdraft, Boston Fire officials said Wednesday night. Thirteen other firefighters were injured in the fire. The fire touched Watertown, as Walsh has family members currently and formerly on the Watertown Fire Department. His father was a lieutenant on the WFD as was his late uncle Bill, according to the Boston Fire Department.

Around Town

Feds Nab Connecticut Man for Allegedly Trying to Meet Minor for Sex in Watertown

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By Charlie Breitrose

A man who drove from Connecticut to Watertown to allegedly have sex with an underage girl was arrested yesterday and faces multiple charges. Paul R. Hinkel, 56, of Chester, Conn., faces federal charges that he persuaded, induced, enticed or coerced a minor to engage in sexual activity, according to a press release from United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz’s office. “We vigorously pursue defendants who intend to use the Internet to evade detection and to infringe on the protections of children,” Ortiz said. Hinkel responded to an ad on Craigslist which he thought was placed by a woman who was looking for a man to have a “relatioship” which would also include her underage daughter. The ad, however, was placed by undercover Homeland Security Investigation agents, according to the announcement.