greg wrote:It seems that he was talking about abandoning a building that was burning out of control like the fire chief said. That doesn't fly with you? After everyone watched the two towers collapse with hundreds of firemen in them, you don't see it reasonable for people to say, "fuck this empty office building." Would you ask people to go in there?
Sure, it would be reasonable to say "fuck (abandon) the empty office building." As far as asking anyone to go inside, I have no answer. I observe that firemen and crews were certainly in each surrounding building at one point or another.
What I want to know is why he said this: what Silverstein actually said was not "abandon" but "demolish/implode" ("pull").
I would never have noticed this except for the impression left by WTC 7's collapse images. Video shows WTC 7 slumps to the ground in what appears to me and many others a manner consistent with implosion. Further, the rubble pile as been commented on by demolitions experts as consistent with implosion (neat pile, much dust of the proper kind, exterior walls atop).
and-
Does it make sense that firemen would set up a demolition of a building that was burning out of their control? Do you know how involved demolishing a skyscraper is? I know that firemen aren't trained to do it, and those who are don't do it in less than a day -while the building is on fire.
You are of course correct: it does not make sense to have firemen set up a controlled demolition of a building. Their training does not include controlled demolition. And yes, it is very involved. Structural engineering analysis, charge placement, charge timing, site access control, etc. It is very specialized and time-consuming work.
Now that we agree, the question absolutely remains: How/why did WTC 7 fall? Video evidence shows a comparitively slightly damaged building, one full city block away from WTC 1 and 2, suffering two small fires, collapsing as quickly as gravity will allow, leaving a rubble pile consistent with implosion.
I wouldn't comment if not for: the building's owner is apparently on tape as having made the decision to implode it and 2) the intuitive conclusion that one city block is an awful long way for WTC 1 and 2 debris to project in sufficient quantities to cancel out the structural integrity of WTC 7.
Footnotes can raise fair questions.
-r