YORK, Pa. — Among the echoed sirens at the York City Fire Department are silent reminders of the fallen.
The memories of Ivan Flanscha and Zachary Anthony still burn bright. The two died in the line of duty on March 22, 2018, when the Old Weaver Piano building on North Broad Street in York collapsed during a fire.
"Some days, it seems like it was just yesterday, and some days it seems like it's been 20 years," IFF Local 627 Union President Jon Spencer said.
The only memorial currently on North Broad Street is a wooden cross on the fence surrounding the rubble.
That's soon to change.
"We wanted to have something to continuously memorialize them, commemorate them," Spencer said.
The Ivan & Zach Memorial Garden will be dedicated on March 22, on the fifth anniversary of the tragic accident.
"There's gonna be an American flag. And then there's a union flag that'll be underneath that with Ivan and Zach's names," Spencer said. "And on that is the same logo as the firehouse at Station One with the owl mascot [and] their badge numbers on it."
The garden will be located along the corner of Broad and Philadelphia streets, just a few hundred feet from where Flanscha and Anthony lost their lives.
"Having it close by obviously tugs at your heartstrings," Spencer said. "It's nice to have at the location where it happened."
But their memory doesn’t stop with the garden.
Liquid Hero Brewery on North Street released a beer called “Fuel their Fire” in honor of Ivan and Zach that can be found at several York bars and restaurants.
A portion of the sales will be donated to the new memorial.
Spencer says the years of support ensure the memories of the fallen heroes will never fade.
"We just really appreciate the community and their continued support so we can keep doing our jobs and also continue to memorialize and commemorate Ivan and Zack," Spencer said.
The project was spearheaded by York XL. Members of the public will soon be able to sponsor bricks that help fund its construction and upkeep.