Firefighter Marcel Claes

From the April 2002 Firehouse Magazine

Civilians were helping each other out as we walked up the stairs in the north tower. We stopped to take a break on the 35th floor. We heard a rumble. We thought the upper floors might have collapsed. There was a chief with us and he said drop everything and get out, twice. On the way down, I saw the Second Battalion aide, Faustino Apostel Jr., on the 10th floor. Below that there was a woman walking one step at a time. She was being helped by Ladder 6.

I finally made it to the lobby. I was surprised to see so much debris. Someone said go out the way we came in. A building employee was looking up. We ran outside. I remember seeing Ladder 8 or Ladder 18 on the corner. We went out to the middle of West Street and saw the debris on the ground. We watched three people jump. The north and west sides of Tower 1 were totally involved. I was confused. I said is this really happening? The building started to come down. We ran north on West Street. The dust was passing us. I ran behind an engine. It was total darkness. Something hot went down my shirt. I was gagging on the dust. No one from the company was with me. I went back down the street to an engine that was still running. This engine was being supplied by another engine.

Firefighters started to take lines off. There were many rigs on fire. Lines were stretched to the Customs House. They were searching in there. They used the booster tank water from one engine, and then Engine 239 resupplied that unit. Lines were hooked up to Tower Ladder 12. Someone was using a stang nozzle but they didn?t have much pressure.

We were kept away from building 7 because of the potential of collapse. I felt sick. I had my eyes flushed out. I saw firefighters who told me Engine 24 made it out, but Ladder 5 was missing. I walked back to the firehouse of Engine 24/Ladder 5.