The Day That Changed America

In the lobby, Hansson learned that the elevators weren’t working. To reach the blaze, firefighters would have to take the stairs. And they’d each be loaded with 75 to 100 pounds of gear. After an hour, Hansson reached the 35th floor.

“It’s exhausting to carry all that weight,” he explains. “We were drenched in sweat.”

Suddenly, he heard a radio call: “Mayday, get out of the building!” Seconds later, the tower began to shake violently. The other tower had been struck by another plane about an hour earlier. And it had just crumbled to the ground.

Hansson started down the stairs as quickly as he could. On the way, he helped others drag a man who couldn’t walk out of the building. The group safely made it out of the tower.

Then Hansson heard a deafening roar. The tower he had just exited was collapsing too. Everything went pitch-black. A gust of wind swept over him as he was pelted by debris.

Just a few seconds later, all was calm. Hansson could not believe he was still alive. But dust and thick black smoke filled his lungs.

“It felt as if someone stuck a sock in my throat,” he says.

In the distance, he saw a flashlight. Two police officers had stayed behind near a staircase. Hansson crawled toward the light to safety.

Sadly, many others didn’t make it out alive. In total, nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks that day, which is known as 9/11 (see sidebar). That includes more than 400 firefighters, police officers, and paramedics in New York City.

Twenty years later, Hansson is still a firefighter. He also volunteers for the 9/11 Tribute Museum. There, he tells visitors about the bravery of others. But he doesn’t call himself a hero.

“My job is to save people, so it’s not heroic to me,” he says. “It’s what I signed up to do.”

1. Why did Hansson run into the tower when other people were running out?

2. What specific details about Hansson’s experience on 9/11 does the article include?

3. What can you learn from the map on page 4?