Three New York City firefighters spoke candidly of the dangers they experienced and what they heard inside a collapsing building on 9-11. The three firefighters were from the 24th NY Ladder Battalion: Tyrone Johnson, Jimmy Grillo and James Duffy. They spoke to NY City media and citizens just after emerging from the World Trade Center South Tower Building 2.
The video below is of these valiant firefighters 18 years ago on September 11, 2001. Their eyewitness testimony goes contrary to official reports and has rarely been seen or heard outside of a brief clip played on the NY City news. Grillo was later interviewed on the Larry King program September 12th, 2001.
Johnson said it was “horrible” and that there were “secondary explosions.” He continued that they had come in when the fire was already going. While waiting he said they heard “three explosions after that.”
Duffy said he witnessed a very large black airplane fly into the building “right in front of our eyes.” He said that “it was surreal, just like on a movie set.”
New York City firefighters from the 24th NY Ladder Company on 9-11. The firefighters all said they heard “explosions” inside the buildings.
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Bloody-faced firefighter named Jimmy Grillo borrowed a cell phone and tried to get through to home, asking a reporter to put it on speed dial. Grillo, said there was a “heavy duty explosion” while in the lobby of World Trade Center 2 the South Tower building.
Grillo was interviewed on the Larry King program and said that when he arrived at the WTC “it was terror. It was sheer terror.” He continued that he didn’t want to look up as “bodies were falling out of the sky.”
Johnson said, while in the lobby waiting to go upstairs there were “3 explosions” in the tower, the 3rd explosion made the lobby collapse, not the actual tower. After the explosions when the lobby collapsed, Grillo said, “everybody started running for the door” because their lives were in danger.
Michael Reed is editor of The Standard
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