WTC Task Force Interviews/Oral Histories.

Building 7 continued...

...I questioned as to what the nature of the evacuation was. I was told that it was not because of what was occurring across the street. No one feared that the building was in danger as a result of two airplane attacks and subsequent fires, but that there were reports of a third plane that had been hijacked. It was unidentified, the location, and they thought it may be coming in for an additional strike. Therefore, the were evacuating the building.

We proceeded down to the lobby where the various agency representatives were present. We collectively started to set up in the lobby and try to think of strategies to where we could move the inter-agency cooperative effort...

…a gentleman from the building identified himself as a security person or security director. He asked me if there is anything we needed or he could provide me with regard to the EMS. We questioned him as to the ability to open up the loading bays which are associated with 7 World Trade Center. The entrances are located directly under the pedestrian foot bridge. I figured it was protected there, so debris wouldn’t fall down. He said he would do that. I directed Captain Nahmod to move the patients into that area. Again, the lobby of number 7 is all glass façade. I was concerned that if something should come off the building, go through the glass or hit the glass, we would have an extraordinary amount of patients in addition to what was already being seen.

Further we took everyone from the OEM and moved them to what would be the most southeasterly corner inside that first floor entrance of 7 World Trade. There is a big granite or marble security desk and we started to establish around that as we were trying to figure out what we were going to do…

…I was in a discussion with Mr. Rotanz and I believe it was a representative from the Department of Buildings, but I’m not sure. Some engineer type person, and several of us were huddled talking in the lobby and it was brought to my attention, it was believed that the structural damage that was suffered to the towers was quite significant and they were very confident that the building’s stability was compromised and they felt that the north tower was in danger of a near imminent collapse…

…Q. They felt that just the one building or both of them?

A. The information we got at that time was that they felt both buildings were significantly damaged but they felt that the north tower, which was the first one to be struck, was going to be in imminent danger of collapse. Looking up at it, you could see that, you could see through the smoke or whatever, that there was significant structural damage to the exterior of the building. Very noticeable. Now you know, again, this is not a scene where the thought of both buildings collapsing ever entered into my mind.
I was there in 1993, 14 minutes after the bomb went off. I operated some 16 hours at the building and with all the post-incident critiques and debriefings with various agencies. We were always told by everyone, the experts, that these buildings could withstand direct hits from airplanes. That’s the way they were designed. They went through all of this architectural stuff, way beyond the scope of my knowledge.

It was hit by an airplane. That’s okay. It’s made to be hit by an airplane. I mean I think everyone may have believed that. We were all told years ago it was made to be hit by an airplane…

…They were setting up outside of 7 World Trade Center, just east of the pedestrian bridge. I told them it would probably be better off to be set up under the bridge. At least it was protected. I was just about to enter a dialogue with her when I heard a sound I had never heard before. I looked up and saw this huge cloud. I told him run. I grabbed the female, I threw her through the revolving doors of number 7. We were proceeding inside. She fell to the ground. I helped her out, I pushed her towards the direction of where we were all in the south corner and there was a little doorway behind that desk which led into the loading bays.

Everyone started to run through that. Never made it to that door. The next thing I remember was that I was covered in some glass and some debris. Everything came crashing through the front of number 7. It was totally pitch black…

…I thought that part of the building or the façade of the building had collapsed. You know, it was too dusty to see outside, so we didn’t know what happened, but I knew something real bad happened. I knew that everyone we had in the lobby, or we thought everyone was accounted for. Again, there was a lot of rubble in the lobby, probably a few feet. The façade was all broken…

Building 7 continued...

Firefighter Maureen McArdle-Schulman

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... All of a sudden building number seven now has twelve stories of fire...

Firefighter Eugene Kelty Jr.

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... And 7 World Trade was burning up at the time. We could see it. There was concern. I had gone up to take a look at it, because I knew that the telephone company building, with is 140 West Street, was next to 7 World Trade Center, and there was a concern that if 7 World Trade came down, what would happen to this building? We went in there, we checked it out. There were some people in there. We made them evacuate and I went in the back to see what was happening.

The fire at 7 World Trade was working its way from the front of the building northbound to the back of the building. There was no way there could be water put on it, because there was no water in the area. I went back and I reminded whoever the chief was, I don’t know if it was Chief McKavanagh or Chief Blaich, that with 7 World Trade Center in danger of collapsing, you had to be careful, because Con Edison had big transformers in the back that supplied lower half of Manhattan...

Captain Anthony Varriale

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... the Second Battalion showed up and we attempted to search and extinguish, at the which was small pockets of fire in 7 World Trade Center. We were unaware of the damage in the front of 7, because we were entering from the northeast entrance. We weren’t aware of the magnitude of the damage in the front of the building.
We made searches. We attempted to put some of the fire out, but we had a pressure problem. I forget the name of the Deputy. Some Deputy arrived at the scene and thought that the building was too dangerous to continue with the operations, so we evacuated number 7 World Trade Center...

Firefighter George Rodriguez

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... At that point the preliminary sounds of the collapse started, the loud crackling sounds. We all started running, because I think the energy coming down through the cylinders of the building because of the pancake, the energy came out first and then the actual debris started coming.

So we all ran. Myself and the chauffeur of 26 Engine grabbed about 30 civilians as well as the maintenance men, and we put them all in the basement of Seven World Trade Center...

Firefighter Fred Marsilla

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... At this point, 7, which is right there on Vesey, the whole corner of the building was missing. I was thinking to myself we are in a bad place, because it was the corner facing us...

Lieutenant Rudolf Weindler

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... The next thing I did was we saw a fire starting to show at windows in 7 World Trade Center, decided to go in and try and see if there was anybody in the building and/or put out the fires, and we did a search from floor to floor of 7 World Trade Center passing fire of floors 3, 7, 9. The standpipes had no water. We tried to extinguish a few fires with cans. When we got to 11, there was just too much smoke and we decided that, without water, if we went any higher, we’d be on a fool’s mission...

Abdo Nahmod

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... At this point, I communicated with Chief Perrugia via the land line, and we were directed to report to 7 World Trade to set up the OEM. Both myself and EMT Zarrillo went to the 23rd Floor of 7 World Trade and began to log onto the terminals, as well as inform the citywide dispatch supervisor that we were activating OEM at this time, and operations were to begin.

Moments thereafter, were advised by the staff at OEM that we were to vacate the building, that they believed there was another possible plane on its way, and proceeded down the stairwell of 7 World Trade all the way down to the ground floor.

Upon getting outside of 7 World Trade, I saw Chief Perrugia and Captain Stone, and I believe one of the EMTs from the Division 1 command outside.

At this point, we were trying to establish a command center, as well as treatment and transport sector. I believe Chief Perrugia was trying to establish communication, and I was directed to move down to the garage area of the 7 World Trade where there were four bays, one having a truck in it...

I did my best to highlight the more interesting and controversial aspects related to 9/11 and theories about it such as the planes, explosions and building 7. I used more information from the building 7 related stories largely to highlight the context and to show the people who were in and around building 7 throughout the day, as well as the damage they saw.

I hope people have taken the time to read the interviews I've highlighted, as well as they others. The majority of them really are amazing, regardless of what your views on 9/11 may be.

I read through most of what you posted. I think it fairly soundly rules out any no plane theories - though they did all seem to see the same manicured hand with the ring and one even thought it was fake. That is strange, almost like it was planted.

It is interesting that so many thought there were secondary explosions but then only changed their mind about it later when told it was the building pancaking. One group even argued immediately that it was controlled demolition!

You are right about the story of the arab man being arrested - very suspicious, but then again it may have just been some people over reacting or getting carried away/confused.

I would like to know the context of the redacted material as well. That kind of thing always raises alarm bells for me. What have they got to hide? Or is it just information that could be "misinterpreted" to poke holes in the official story?

Originally posted by Cecilofs
I would like to know the context of the redacted material as well. That kind of thing always raises alarm bells for me. What have they got to hide? Or is it just information that could be "misinterpreted" to poke holes in the official story?

Much of the redacted material is easily explained. Some of it deals with names or personal details of people who were otherwise not involved in the events, firemen or EMT's family members, wives, kids etc... Some of it seemed to deal with personal emotional issues that maybe they didn't see fitting to provide details on. Others seemed to criticize how the situation was handled, or directly criticize some higher level people that was involved. It seemed like some were in complete shock and unable to do their job, or were unable to do their job for other reasons and possibly to save face, or save those people from undue scrutiny about their performance those sections were redacted.

There were however a few instances where seemingly critical information was redacted. A few redacted portions detailed running into something the interviewee and interviewer both classified as strange, and then they went on to touch on that part again only to have that part also be redacted. Commissioner Stephen Gregory is one instance of that I can think of off the top of my head. The interviewer asks him to elaborate further on something strange he saw en route to the scene, only for that part to be redacted, but the interviewers comment that it was strange stood out in between the redacted material. That interview is an interesting one and I'd recommend it for a read, but then again I do recommend all 500+ of them.

ETA:Actually, it was not Stephen Gregory, it was Lieutenant Neil Brosnan.

The portion I mention reads like this...

...I'm still talking to Lieutenant Brosnan. He just told me a note about in response to the World Trade Center. Go ahead. Tell me that again.

A. While us and 221...(redacted for about a page)

Q. This is at Park Avenue and around -- where was this?

A. ...(redacted for about half a page)

Q. Yes, that is unusual.

(further redaction)...