June 17, 1972: A crowd gathered at the corner of Dartmouth Street and Commonwealth Avenue to watch the Boston Fire Department fight the four-alarm blaze in the former Hotel Vendome.

June 17, 1972: Firefighters and emergency personnel worked to remove a victim from the rubble left by the fire after a partial building collapse at the Hotel Vendome. Nine firefighters were killed in the collapse of the building, the worst loss of life in the history of the Boston Fire Department.

June 18, 1972: Still frantically searching at 1 a.m., rescue personnel dug in the rubble of the collapsed section of the Hotel Vendome to try to reach colleagues.

June 27, 1972: Ten days after the fatal fire, the former Hotel Vendome destruction remained an open wound in the city.