A fire broke out on the roof of a Queens hospital on Friday, leading to two minor injuries and the evacuation of the emergency room, authorities said. The blaze at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in the Far Rockaway section was called in shortly after 5 p.m., the Fire Department of New York said. Video posted on social media showed flames at the top of the building and black smoke billowing into the sky. Most patients and staff were able to shelter in place, while those in the emergency department were evacuated and ambulances diverted. The fire was declared under control just before 7 p.m. (AP)

From an urban memorial to a remote field to the heart of of the nation’s military might, President Joe Biden on Saturday paid tribute at three hallowed places of grief and remembrance to honor the lives lost two decades ago in the 9/11 terror attacks. The solemn day of commemoration offered frequent reminders for Americans of a time when they united in the face of unimaginable tragedy. That fading spirit of 9/11 was invoked most forcefully by the president at the time of the attacks, George W. Bush, who said, “That is the America I know,” in stark contrast to the bitterly divided nation Biden now leads. Biden left the speech-making to others, paying his respects at the trio of sites in New York, Pennsylvania and outside Washington where four hijacked planes crashed on Sept.

Former president Donald Trump was in New York City on Saturday to mark 20 years since the 9/11 attacks. He didn’t attend any remembrance ceremonies, but he did stop by the 17th police precinct in Midtown and a neighboring fire station. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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It is twenty years since that moment in history changed the world for ever. Of course, when it happened, many of us knew we’d never forget that day. Yet time dulls even the most painful memories. Among the heroes of 9/11, which included the FDNY, NYPD, PAPD, EMS and other agencies, were the volunteers of Hatzolah. Chevra Hatzalah played a pivotal role in the World Trade Center rescue operations. The very first ambulance to arrive at the World Trade Center following the first plane crash on September 11, 2001 was a Hatzalah ambulance. By the time the second airplane crashed into the second tower, there were two-dozen Hatzalah ambulances, including Hatzalah’s Communications and Command Center trailer, and more than 100 Hatzalah EMTs, paramedics, and doctors on scene.

The following are excerpts of a Wall Street Journal article, and re-posted from the YWN archives: FIVE FLOORS ABOVE, Shimmy Biegeleisen phoned his wife from his office at money-management firm Fiduciary Trust International Inc. “There’s been an explosion next door,” the 42-year-old vice president said. “Don’t worry. I’m OK.” After a few minutes, Mr. Biegeleisen grabbed his black canvas bag, walked past a cluster of cubicles and headed toward the stairwell. But when he reached the doorway — a step behind a project manager who worked for him — he stopped, leaned his big body against the open metal door and rummaged through his bag. “Whatever you’re looking for, it’s not important,” the manager told her boss. “Please come.” She started down the stairs.

When the terror attack occurred, Avremel was fifty-five; his friend Ed, a quadriplegic, was forty-two. Both worked at Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield as program analysts on the 27th floor of One World Trade Center. By Chavie Zelmanowitz (sister-in-law), as told to Bayla Sheva Brenner On the morning of 9/11, Avremel davened in the same shul with my husband, Yankel, which was unusual. Usually, whenever they said goodbye, they would shake hands. That morning, however, Avremel came toward Yankel and hugged him tightly before he left for work. While driving home after taking me to work, Yankel heard that something had happened at the World Trade Center. He tried to call Avremel. I also tried. We couldn’t get through. Then Avremel called Yankel. He said, “I’m here with Ed.

Edmund Glazer even laughed quietly. He was a calming, logical man, a problem solver, an unassuming gentleman for whom swearing was anathema. Even though he was the youngest of four siblings who were raised in Zambia and South Africa, with his ability to untangle life knots so adroitly, he was the family’s go-to guy. “Tell me more,” he would say, gently touching the other person’s arm. “What can I do to help?” Whenever he visited his sister, Beatrice Sandler, and her daughters, he would immediately stock their refrigerator with groceries and throw out the stale goods from his previous visit. He and his wife, Candy, had recently moved into a house outside Boston.

It’s a heart-breaking bird’s eye view of New York’s darkest day. As we mark the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, a powerful 17-minute video taken from an NYPD helicopter on that fateful day surfaced on the Web a few years ago. Obtained by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the leaked footage from inside the chopper shows the twin towers engulfed in clouds of smoke – and captures the stunned reactions of the cops when they fell. Earlier in the footage, the officers take in a panoramic view of the unfolding pandemonium – and get perilously close to the black roiling smoke. When the chopper briefly touches down in a nearby park, stunned officers gaze up at one of the burning towers.

Former President George W. Bush outlines for the first time in a new documentary how events unfolded for him following the 9-11 attacks. In the National Geographic Channel special, “George W. Bush: The 9-11 Interview,” the former President talks about the chaotic moments after the attacks and the reasoning behind decisions he made that day. Bush reflects on being told about the attacks while visiting schoolchildren in Florida and the difficulty in getting accurate information in what he calls “the fog of war.”  He also talks about returning to the White House to address Americans in the hours after the terrorist attacks.

Officials will give a 9/11 security briefing from the NYPD’s headquarters in lower Manhattan on Friday, a day before the city and nation mark the somber 20th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks. The NYPD will hold the 12:45 p.m. briefing with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Bill de Blasio and law enforcement partners at 1 Police Plaza, where they’ll speak in depth about the security measures.