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Hundreds gather in DC to commemorate the ceremonial ‘Last Run of the Horses’

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Hundreds gathered along one D.C. avenue Sunday to commemorate the last time the city鈥檚 Fire Department used horse drawn carriages to respond to emergencies.

On June 15, 1925, the DC Fire Department held a ceremonial 聽to commemorate the service of the fire horses who pulled the equipment for decades, but were no longer needed due to the creation of motorized fire trucks.

Sunday鈥檚 event, organized by the along with the , marked the 100th anniversary of the event by holding a reenactment.

鈥淭hey’re (department members) very proud of the long history of the agency,鈥 said Amy Mauro, executive director of DC Fire and EMS Foundation. 鈥淗ow far it’s come over the last 150 years of being in existence.鈥

Community members and various fire and EMS department members lined North Carolina Avenue in Southeast D.C. between the William H. Rumsey Aquatic Center and Lincoln Park to watch the horses trot by, carrying the exact same horse-drawn steam fire engine used 100 years ago.

鈥淭oday is a really joyful day on Capitol Hill,鈥 Mauro said.

The procession was led by a 1920s-style fire engine and followed by two Dalmatians and their handler.

Kate Mazzara attended the event to support her husband, who she said is a driver with Rescue Squad 1, which also celebrated its 100th anniversary Sunday. Many current and former Squad 1 members came out to see the reenactment.

鈥淭here were a lot of stories going back and forth, you know, from the retired guys, and talking about how D.C. has changed, how it doesn’t look the same, and just reminiscing about their time on the job,鈥 Mazzara said. 鈥淪o it’s a lot of fun.鈥

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Grace Newton

Grace Newton is an Associate Producer at 海角社区app. She also works as an associate producer for NPR 海角社区appcast. Grace was born and raised in North Carolina but has lived in D.C. since 2018. Grace graduated from American University with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in journalism and minor in art history in 2022.

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