The eighth-annual Tunnel to Towers Run is being held as scheduled Sunday, despite a fire on Staten Island that destroyed thousands of items meant to be used for the race.

About 18,000 T-shirts were in a UPS truck that suddenly burst into flames Friday night. No one was injured, but the shirts were burned along with registration forms, trophies and other items.

Despite the setback, organizers said Saturday that the race would go on.

The run is in honor of firefighter Stephen Siller, who died during the September 11th terrorist attacks. Runners follow his footsteps through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel.

"It's going to be another thing that brings us closer together as a community and as a family, as far as my brothers and sisters are concerned," said Frank Siller, Stephen's brother. "There's an owner of a hotel on Staten Island, The Hilton Garden Inn. Soon as he heard what had happened, he offered his services. UPS pilled up all the wet shirts, put them in a truck, drove them to the Hilton Garden, and they're cleaning them for us."

Stephen Siller ran three miles in full gear through the tunnel because he wasn't allowed to drive through. He died while rescuing people from the Twin Towers.