story1841.xml
Title
story1841.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-07
911DA Story: Story
My home and my office each had a view of the north and south towers. I live and work five blocks from ground zero.
I was at my desk working when the first plane went overhead. I ducked in reflex because it was so loud and felt so close. Then I heard the explosion. It echoed off of the buildings in the front of the office. I went to the front of the building and saw nothing. I ran to the back of the office where the WTC could be seen. The sky was filled with paper. There was so much paper in the sky and it was framed by all the smoke, and flames.
Prior to the second plane striking the south tower, I went out and walked toward the WTC only to be driven back by people fleeing. I returned to the office and watched the fire in the north tower when the south tower exploded. The orange flames exploded horizontally from the north face of the south tower, violent orange flames and black smoke. I remember thinking that the south tower must have caught fire from the north tower inferno. Only later did I learn it was a second plane.
We continued to watch. I could see people in the north tower above the fire waving from the windows at helicopters looking for rescue. And suddenly the south tower collapsed. My employees said later they remembered my scream. I left the office to go to my home across the street and close the windows and check on the dogs. There were no sirens. There was only silence.
I returned to the office and watched the north tower burning. I watched people falling from the floors above the fire. I could see other people at the top of the north tower waving and hanging out the windows. Flailing arms with shirts in their hands. And as if in slow motion the antenna on top of the north tower moved left and right. The antennal fell to the left.
I watched the people reaching out the windows as the collapse gained momentum. The smoke and dust rose to shroud them. I watched those people as they descended to their death.
Within a minute we were in complete darkness. Even now I am frozen in the memory of the images and thinking about each of the victims who, as I did, just went to work that day.
We shut down and went to my home. Everything on the street was covered with ash and the silence was even greater.
My office remained in the frozen zone until Thanksgiving.
I was at my desk working when the first plane went overhead. I ducked in reflex because it was so loud and felt so close. Then I heard the explosion. It echoed off of the buildings in the front of the office. I went to the front of the building and saw nothing. I ran to the back of the office where the WTC could be seen. The sky was filled with paper. There was so much paper in the sky and it was framed by all the smoke, and flames.
Prior to the second plane striking the south tower, I went out and walked toward the WTC only to be driven back by people fleeing. I returned to the office and watched the fire in the north tower when the south tower exploded. The orange flames exploded horizontally from the north face of the south tower, violent orange flames and black smoke. I remember thinking that the south tower must have caught fire from the north tower inferno. Only later did I learn it was a second plane.
We continued to watch. I could see people in the north tower above the fire waving from the windows at helicopters looking for rescue. And suddenly the south tower collapsed. My employees said later they remembered my scream. I left the office to go to my home across the street and close the windows and check on the dogs. There were no sirens. There was only silence.
I returned to the office and watched the north tower burning. I watched people falling from the floors above the fire. I could see other people at the top of the north tower waving and hanging out the windows. Flailing arms with shirts in their hands. And as if in slow motion the antenna on top of the north tower moved left and right. The antennal fell to the left.
I watched the people reaching out the windows as the collapse gained momentum. The smoke and dust rose to shroud them. I watched those people as they descended to their death.
Within a minute we were in complete darkness. Even now I am frozen in the memory of the images and thinking about each of the victims who, as I did, just went to work that day.
We shut down and went to my home. Everything on the street was covered with ash and the silence was even greater.
My office remained in the frozen zone until Thanksgiving.
Collection
Citation
“story1841.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 13, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/18330.