FILE NO 9110196 WORLD TRADE CENTER TASK FORCE INTERVIEW FIRE MARSHAL SALVATORE RIGNOLA INTERVIEW DATE NOVEMBER 2001 TRANSCRIBED BY LAURIE COLLINS
MR STEPUNAITIS IT NOVEMBER 5TH 2001 THE TIME IS 16 HOURS AND FIVE MINUTES THIS IS FIRE MARSHAL STEPONAITIS OF THE SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CITY OF NEW YORK WERE CONDUCTING AN INTERVIEW WITH THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUAL PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME RANK TITLE AND ASSIGNMENT FIRE MARSHAL RIGNOLA MY NAME IS SALVATORE RIGNOLA IM NEW YORK FIRE MARSHAL IM ASSIGNED TO CITYWIDE SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS AT 16 HOOPER STREET WHICH WE ARE RIGHT NOW ON THE FOURTH FLOOR MR STEPONAITIS WERE CONDUCTING AN INTERVIEW REGARDING THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11TH 2001 ALSO PRESENT IN THE ROOM IS MR BURNS SUPERVISING FIRE MARSHAL ROBERT BURNS SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND FIRE MARSHAL RIGNOLA PLEASE GIVE US THE EVENTS THAT OCCURRED THAT DAY FROM THE TIME THAT YOU WERE NOTIFIED UNTIL THE TIME THAT YOU LEFT THE SCENE
THAT DAY WA CUIT IN THE FIELD IN QUEENS AND RECEIVED RADIO CALL TO RESPOND TO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER HAD MY REGULAR RADIO ON AND HEARD THAT PLANE CRASHED WHILE ON MY WAY RESPONDING TO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER IM GOING OVER THE QUEENSBORO BRIDGE THE SECOND PLANE CRASHED INTO ONE OF THE TOWERS KNOW THERE WERE TWO TOWERS THERE PROCEEDED TO MANHATTAN DROVE DOWN THE WEST SIDE HIGHWAY PARKED MY VEHICLE AROUND MURRAY STREET WALKED DOWN TOWARDS THE TRADE CENTER AROUND VESEY STREET SAW CHIEF FIRE MARSHAL GARCIA HE ASKED ME IF HAD RADIO SAID YES HE ASKED ME TO GO ON IN AND CALL THE OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR BUREAU WHICH WERE ASSEMBLED NEAR THE TELEPHONE BUILDING ON VESEY AND WEST STREET THE RADIO WASNT WORKING PROPERLY AND WE NEVER MADE CONTACT WITH ANYBODY SO WHILE WERE THERE ON WEST STREET AND VESEY SAW FIRE COMMISSIONER VON ESSEN PASS BY FIRE MARSHAL OMARA WAS WITH HIM SAW ALSO DEPUTY COMMISSIONER TIERNEY PASS BY BECAUSE SHE WENT UP FROM WEST TO LIBERTY STREET IM JUST STANDING UNDER THE FIRST
PEDE BRIDGE NEAR VE STREET ARID EE MY OLD FIRE COMPANY 131 SEE 101 FROM MY BATTALION COUPLE OF THE COMPANIES THERE IM OVER THERE STANDING AND SOMEONE STARTS YELLING THERES AN EXPLOSION ALL OF SUDDEN YOU COULD HEAR SOME WEIRD SOUND LIKE CRUMBLING ALL OF SUDDEN EVERYBODY STARTS RUNNING SO WENT TO THE CORNER OF VESEY AND WEST AND THERE WAS THE ESU TRUCK WENT AGAINST THE ESU TRUCK AND ALL OF SUDDEN EVERYTHING GOT BLACK THE WIND BLEW BY MATERIAL FLEW BY ABOUT TWO MINUTES LATER IT CLEARED UP THAT WAS ABLE TO SEE THEN SAW CHIEF FIRE MARSHAL GARCIA AGAIN HE ASKED ME TO GET ON THE RADIO AND TRY TO ASSEMBLE EVERYBODY AND GET ALL THE FIRE MARSHALS ASSEMBLED NEAR WEST AND VESEY BUT THE RADIO WASNT WORKING STARTED CHECKING 131S RIG TO LOOK FOR MASK THERE WAS NO MASK THERE TRIED 101 WENT THROUGH THE RIG LOOKING FOR MASK THEN SAW SUPERVISOR FIRE MARSHAL DEVERY THE FIRST THING HE ASKED ME DID YOU SEE FIRE MARSHAL BUCCA SAID NO THEN DEVERY
PROCEEDED UP WEST STREET NORTH WAS STILL TRYING TO LOOK FOR MASKS SO DID LITTLE SEARCH IN THE BUILDING STILL DIDNT BELIEVE THAT THE TOWER CAME DOWN BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK TOWARDS THAT SOUTH TOWER YOU COULDNT SEE IT WAS DUST TRIED USING MY CELL PHONE THAT WAS DEAD WENT TO PAY PHONE CALLED MY HOUSE TO MAKE SURE MY WIFE DOESNT GO ANYWHERE GET THE KIDS HOME WHILE IM STANDING UP NEAR THE NORTH PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE THE FEW PEOPLE AROUND START RUNNING AGAIN THEY SAID THE TOWER IS COMING DOWN WHILE IM STANDING THERE YOU COULD SEE NOW THE NORTH TOWER WORLD TRADE ONE YOU COULD SEE IT STARTING TO COME DOWN WHILE YOURE LOOKING UP YOU COULD SEE IT COME DOWN SO WENT TO THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET ON VESEY AND WEST WENT INTO TRUCK THINK IT WAS LADDER 21 WENT IN THE OFFICERS SEAT ROLLED UP THE WINDOW AND YOU COULD SEE THE STUFF COMING DOWN COVERED MYSELF DEBRIS HIT THE TRUCK WAITED ABOUT FIVE MINUTES CAME OUT AND JUST STARTED UP
DID ANYTHING COME THIRCUIGHI THE TRUCK STUFF WENT THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD HUT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE NOTHING HIT ME THE WINDSHIELD GOT BROKE BUT DIDNT GET SCRATCHED RIGHT BEFORE THAT ABOUT TWO MINUTES BEFORE THAT REMEMBER SEEING CHIEF GARCIA WAS TALKING TO LIEUTENANT SHEEHAN HE USED TO BE AN AE WITH THE PD THEY WERE AT THE CORNER OF WEST AND VESEY THAT WAS LIKE FIVE MINUTES BEFORE THAT AFTER LEFT THE RIG STARTED IT WAS ALMOST LIKE GHOST TOWN THEN PEOPLE STARTED APPEARING WE STARTED SEARCHING OVER SOME OF THE DEBRIS THE NORTH PEDESTRIAN TOWER ACTUALLY COLLAPSED BUT IT COLLAPSED ON 101 SO YOU COULD ACTUALLY WALK UNDERNEATH THE TOWER TO GET ON THE OTHER SIDE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS TOWER THERE WAS LIKE 15 FEET OF JUST DEBRIS REMEMBER SEEING OTHER FIRE MARSHALS AND EVERYBODY SAYING ALL THE MARSHALS START ASSEMBLING AT CHAMBERS AND WEST THINK IT WAS WENT TO CHAMBERS AND WEST AND MORE AND MORE FIRE MARSHALS CAME THERE AND WE JUST
STOOD OVER THERE FOR WHILE ARID THIAT ABOUT IT ON THAT NIGHT WENT BACK DOWN TRIED TO MAYBE LOOK AROUND COULDNT SEE NOTHING THATS ABOUT IT MR STEPONAITIS THANK YOU FIRE MARSHAL RIGNOLA THAT CONCLUDES FIRE MARSHAL RIGNOLAS STATEMENT IT IS NOW 1609 HOURS