Command Post: “I don’t give a s–t about the building. I give a s–t about the guys …”. New Audio From Deadly Fire in Lower Manhattan.
Photo above from nydailynews.com. Click on the picture to read the latest information from The Daily News on efforts to save the trapped firefighters. First voice: “Be advised, on the 14th floor we’re blowing windows out on the … I’m not sure which side we’re on, but we’re blowing windows out. We’re outta air …”
Overheard chatter from command post: “… The firemen on the 14th floor, they’re screaming for help. They can’t get to them …”
Second voice from 14th floor: “It’s starting to get bad up here. We gotta force our way. We gotta break through some of this plywood to get the hell outta here. It’s bad. Very low visibility …”
Third voice from 14th floor: “All the staircases, all the landings are plywooded up. … It would take us a week to get through and check each one …”
Command Post: “Command to Battalion 2 … I want a roll call. Do we have a roll call finished up there? I don’t give a s–t about the building. I give a s–t about the guys …”
Voice from the 15th floor: “Ladder 8 to the command post. We’re all running low on air and we’re really taking a beating up here on 15 …”
Command Post: “Command to Battalion 2. Can we start pulling guys down and get down to the 14th floor? What’s the current conditions up there?”
Voice from inside: “We got heavy fire.”
Command Post: “Command to Battalion 2 … Who are we missing? Ask the officers who we’re missing? … Command to Ladder 10. Do you have everybody with you? …”
Command Post: “… Let’s get everybody down below this fire and we’ll start all over again. I wanna make sure we have everybody accounted for.”
Voice from 13th floor: “I’m on floor 13, but there is no access via the stairway. The stairways are blocked off. Everybody that’s coming down has to come down the elevator to 13 and then take the stairway down. …
Voice from inside: “Charlie, Charlie, where are ya? Get your ass down here, Let’s go. We’re out of here …
Firefighter 1: “Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Engine 24 standing by. … I’m lost. I’m trying to make it on the charged hose line … running out of air.”
Voice from Command: “Command to the rescue battalion … Jack, do we have a good accounting of everybody? I’m getting conflicting messages.”
Jack: “Rescue 1 is accounted for.”
Command: “What about the squad?”
George: “I’m missing one man.”
Command: “Who’s reporting they’re missing one man?”
George: “Rescue 2.”
Command: “Okay, Rescue 2, George, where are you?”
George: “Floor 14.”
Command: “Which guy are you missing?”
George: “Can Man [firefighter carrying fire extinguisher].”
Command: “George, do you know his name?”
George: “Charlie.”
Command: “What floor was he on last?”
George: “14 …”
Firefighter: “Division 1 to Engine 24 … Get the elevator down to one … [unintelligible] …”
Voice from 14th floor: “On the 14th floor, we have a line but I’m not really sure where it’s going. We have a lot of activity going on up here.”
Command Post: “Engine 24?”
A voice from inside: “I can’t account for my men …”
Command Post: “Command, Engine 24? … [Unintelligible crosstalk].”
Command Post: “… He says the rest of the company is missing. Are they accounted for …?”
Voice from inside: “That’s what we’re trying to find out. … Engine 24? …”
We have more links to audio recordings, early video and news coverage of Saturday’s fire, here.
