On January 23rd, 2005, a fire broke out in an illegally partitioned apartment in the Bronx. Six firemen were forced to jump from the fourth floor of the building while on fire. John Bellew and Curtis Meyran died that day, and Joey DiBernardo died in the following years as a result of the fire. On the same day in Brooklyn, Richie Sclafani died on duty, as well.
Upon further investigation of the Bronx fire, it became clear that the tenants of the building, the building owners, and the city of New York - after taking away potentially life saving equipment due to budget cuts - were at fault for the death and injuries of these men.
Firefighter John Bellew, left behind his wife and four children to deal with the subsequent court cases and grief that came with losing a husband and father. Black Sunday follows Eileen Bellew on her journey to reconcile with the post-traumatic stress of being a First Responder widow.
