From left Joao Acaboou with his mother, Maria, and brother Miguel, talk about their bother, Augusto Acabou of the Newark Fire Department, who died. On the right, Michelle Brooks, widow of deceased Newark Firefighter Wayne Brooks Jr., at a press conference in front of Engine 16. October 6, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey.
© Tariq Zehawi/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
(Newark, NJ) – Following last week’s deadly and devastating cargo ship fire in Newark, two fallen heroes are being honored. It was on July 5 of last year when Augusto Acabou and Fire Captain Wayne Brooks Jr. were killed. Now, two firehouses have been dedicated in their honor.
Acabou was honored with a dedication at Engine 16, Ladder Company 8, located on Ferry Street. Meanwhile, Brooks Jr. was also honored — at Engine 27, Ladder Company 4 — on Elm Road.
The fire occurred when a number of cars caught fire and burned — turning into a raging inferno — inside of an Italian cargo ship. The ship was docked at Port Newark. The Newark Firefighters Union has said they were not equipped to fight the fire — because they’d never had shipboard fire training. Earlier this year the US Coast Guard held hearings in a bid to probe the deadly blaze and the deaths of Brooks Jr. and Acabou.
