WTC - 7, Free-fallin' down the memory hole

On 9/11, the largely forgotten World Trade Center Building 7 apparently became the first steel-framed, high-rise building in history to fall solely due to fire. Buildings such as the Windsor Building in Madrid, Spain and One Meridian Plaza survived despite suffering from hotter, more extensive and longer fires than WTC-7.

WTC-7 had minor fires on the 7th and 12th floors that are only noticeable in a few windows. At 5:20 p.m. the building suddenly collapsed into it's own footprint at free-fall speed. What could have caused this collapse? Nearly 5 years later we have no official explanation. FEMA, who conducted the on-site investigation, stated "further investigation was needed to determine the cause of the collapse."

The 9/11 Commission, despite their stated intent "to provide the fullest possible account of the events of 9/11" didn't mention Building 7 in their report on the terrorist attacks upon the United States. In 2005 the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) released a report on the collapse of the North Tower however they did not cover Building 7.

There is one photo showing structural damage to the the Southwest corner which would have been caused by WTC 2 over 300 ft. away. Raises a few points.

1) Is the photo legitimate? Why only one photograph and no video/.

2) WTC Buildings 3, 4, 5 & 6 suffered far more structural damage yet stood.

3) How could massive steel beams from the Towers be trown with such force without explosives?

4) If the damage were fatal the building would have toppled towards the damaged side.

Building 7 fell as if brought down by a controlled demolition. Dan Rather (click on 1st image) and other commentators noted this similarity. Indeed, the collapse exhibited all of the features of a controlled demolition, including:

1) Sudden onset. In a controlled demolition the building is stable then suddenly collapses due to explosives slicing through the supporting steel columns. Building 7 was supported by 24 interior steel columns and 58 perimeter steel columns. Due to steel's thermal conductivity, the temperature of the steel is far below that of the fires. Further, were fire able to bring down a steel frame building, it's collapse would be gradual and asymmetric.

2) A symmetrical, straight down collapse following what normally be the path of most resistance. One of the hallmarks of a controlled demolition is a straight down collapse to minimize the damage to surrounding structures. To accomplish this, vertical support columns must fail nearly simultaneously. This is done by carefully placed explosives detonated in a specific pattern.

3) Free-fall collapse. Building 7 fell in about 6.6 seconds. In a vacuum (no air resistance) an object dropped from the top of the building would have fallen in 5.9 seconds. Therefore the building encountered no resistance, meaning floors were falling ahead of the floors above them.

4) A noticeable crimp in the center of the building indicating the interior columns were failing slightly before the exterior columns. In a controlled demolition this is done to help pull the building inwards, again this is to protect surrounding buildings.

5) Squibs or puffs of smoke. These can be seen moving rapidly up the building and are another indication of explosives.


There was also molten metal found burning in the basement requiring temperatures in excess of 2900 degrees F. The exact composition of the metal is unknown, however it's worth noting that molten iron is the end-product of a thermite (incidiary agent used to slice steel) reaction. There were also partially evaporated steel beams. To evaporate a steel beam requires a temperature of 5000 F.


ALL YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW IS:

The collapse of WTC -7 exhibited all the features of a controlled demolition. No collapse exhibiting the features of a controlled demolition had ever NOT been a controlled demolition. The free-fall symmetrical collapse required a simultaneous breeching of the vertical steel columns at crucial locations and could only been achieved through the use of explosives.

Next we'll look at the fall of the Twin Towers.



[Highly recommended for additional reading - WTC 7 by researcher Jim Hoffman.]