Being one of the city’s Bravest was in Michael Fahy’s blood.
The FDNY battalion chief, who was killed in an early-morning explosion Tuesday at a Bronx marijuana grow house, followed in his father’s footsteps when he joined the department.
“Our hearts go out to the Fahy family —a family so devoted to this City,” Mayor de Blasio said. “A family that has given so much and today made the ultimate sacrifice to this city.”
His father spent 33 years as a smoke eater, working his way up to battalion chief before he retired in 2001.
The 44-year-old father of three was well on his way to matching his dad’s dedication to protecting the city, serving 17 years with the fire department before his tragic death.
He joined the FDNY in 1999, was promoted to lieutenant in 2004, captain in 2007 and became the Battalion 19 chief in 2012 — making him the highest ranking city fire official to die in the line of duty since Sept. 11.
“He was on the rise, he was a star, a great man,” Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said, adding that his death was a “terrible loss not just for the Fahy family, but the fire department family.”
Fahy left behind a wife and three young kids, all under the age of 11.
While his wife, Fiona, was on the way to the hospital, she still did not know her husband’s condition, telling an official “I heard it’s bad,” according to a source.
Fiona shared a photo on Facebook of the family enjoying a rocky beach at sunset back in 2013.
The snap shows Fahy tossing one of his sons into the air as his daughter plays in the background and his eldest son, who is now 11, runs towards the camera.
Yonkers police were outside guarding Fahy’s home in Tuckahoe while his grief-stricken family mourned his sudden loss inside, where a priest was seen going to console them.
His mother, leaning on a family member for support, was seen going inside after she was dropped off by the FDNY.
“There’s nothing but kind words to say about this man and his family,” a visibly shaken neighbor, Jackie Sutton, said. “He’s a pleasant, pleasant, good man.”
“It’s everybody’s loss. It’s very difficult,” she added. “You’ll only hear the best of the best [about him] because it’s true.”
Another neighbor, who identified himself as a 67-year-old retired NYPD cop, called Fahy’s death a “tragedy.”
“He went to work, put his uniform on and now he’ll never see his wife and kids again,” he said.