BOSTON -- Memorials of flowers, wreaths, cards and candles continue to grow outside a fire house in Boston's West Roxbury neighborhood Friday as the community mourns the deaths of two firefighters killed while battling a restaurant blaze there Wednesday night.

The Tai-Ho restaurant on Centre Street had passed its most recent fire inspection but was eight months overdue for an inspection, according to published reports, and had been cited in the past for the grease buildup in the ceiling that fire officials said may have contributed to the deadly conditions that led to the blaze.

Veteran firefighters Warren Payne, 53, and Paul Cahill, 55, died when the roof of the restaurant caved in under the weight of a large air conditioning unit. The cave-in created a backdraft explosion that blasted firefighters inside the restaurant.

Ten firefighters and a paramedic also were injured in the four-alarm fire at the restaurant.

Officials said the fire may have been burning in a double-ceiling for at least an hour before firefighters received an alarm. One of the firefighters who survived the blaze said the roof felt mushy as they responded to the blaze, but they did not have time to warn their colleagues inside the building.

"Very quickly and very suddenly, the entire ceiling, a fiber ceiling, was blown down under force, and a volume of fire was pushed down that had accumulated in that crawl space," Boston Fire Chief Kevin MacCurtain said.

Firefighters said Cahill got the worst of it, hit with a mix of toxic chemicals and fire that knocked him to the ground. Payne was not supposed to be on duty Wednesday. He was substituting for a rookie firefighter who had been scheduled for additional training.

The building was last inspected in June 2006 and was cited for minor violations, according to the Boston Globe, but it received a passing grade. A year earlier, the restaurant was cited for excessive grease on the fume hood and other kitchen equipment. It should have been inspected every six months, the Globe reported, but the city failed to conduct the last two required reviews.

The West Roxbury community, which is home to more than 100 active Boston firefighters, offered memorial tributes at the fire station. Firefighters came from around the Boston metro area to provide support to their colleagues.

"It's the brotherhood. It's like one big family. One firefighter goes, you feel like you lost a brother or a family member," auxiliary Waltham firefighter Joe Cummin Jr., said.

Susan Gordon brought her son Ian, 7, to the firehouse.

"There's a lot of sadness, and Ian said, 'God's there to help them,'" she said.

At Thursday night's New England Patriots game against the New York Giants in Foxborough, fans and players participated in a moment of silence to recognize the fallen firefighters, just as they did before the Red Sox-Yankees game in New York.