After a three-year long investigation conducted by the
National Institute of Standards and Technology, also known as NIST, new
information surfaced on the 9/11 catastrophe. According to the federal report
released yesterday, the intense heat was responsible for the collapse of the World
Trade Center building 7, and not the explosives, as thought until now.
The 47-story building was located north of the World Trade
Center towers on Vesey Street and on September 11, due to the debris falling
from the burning towers, it caught on fire. Many could not believe that its
massive concrete and steel structure was taken down by just some flames and
that is why the theories involving explosives appeared.
There are many who believe that the building was
intentionally leveled through a controlled demolition but so far nobody managed
to provide any proof to sustain this theory.
Investigators also dismissed the possibility that the
significant amounts of diesel fuel stored in the building might have
contributed to the collapse. These reserves were stacked for the generators
needed by the city’s emergency operations command center.
“Our take-home message today is the reason for the collapse of
World Trade Center 7 is no longer a mystery,” explained Dr. Shyam Sunder, the
lead investigator, at a news conference at the institute’s headquarters. “It
did not collapse from explosives or fuel oil fires.”
The institute’s investigators explained that there were also
other factors involved but the primary cause was the fire and this represents
the "first known instance of fire causing the total collapse of a tall
building." The outcome of the situation could have been different if the
building’s sprinkler system worked properly. The investigators found out that
the collapse of the towers ruined the city water main, which lead to the
malfunction of all the sprinklers found on the building’s bottom half. The
extreme heat had a powerful effect on the steel beams, which lost most of their
strength and were unable to sustain the structure.
According to the investigators’ careful analysis, displayed
in a 77-page report, the collapse of the 13th floor lead to the
critical weakening of a steel support column and from that point on, the fall
was imminent. "When this critical column buckled due to lack of floor
supports, it was the first domino in the chain," said Mr. Shyam Sunder.
The lead investigator is certain that the results of their
work will be of great help for professionals working in the industry "Obviously
designers and engineers will be thinking of their buildings as they consider
our report, and they'll take appropriate action."
The investigation of the exact circumstances that led to the
collapse of the Twin Towers and Building 7 is considered a top priority and so
far the federal government has allotted close to $16 million for the research.
There are still many unanswered questions concerning the
catastrophic event and the interest shown in the matter did not diminish with
time, as its effects are still felt all across the country.
