'Fires everywhere.' Stamford fire chief gives first interview in 23 years about his experience on 9/11
Stamford Fire Chief Rex Morris says he has seen things most could only imagine.
There are so many stories that came out of 911 with local connections. Stamford Fire Chief Rex Morris worked the pile 23 years ago and was one of the leaders of the search and rescue with the FDNY.
"That was a Tuesday, and at the time I was a captain in the New York City Fire Department," says Morris.
He sat down with News 12 Connecticut, showing us the helmets he wore, in the first interview he's ever given in 23 years. Morris says he worked to get the city back to normal over the next year. He says he has seen things most could only imagine.
"It was fires everywhere, everybody seeing what that rubble pile looked like. Missing members. A lot of people missing. A very tragic scene like I've never seen before, and I don't think anyone ever has," says Morris.
Morris and his son, who is also a firefighter, worked the 911 site. They were reunited later that day when people were learning they lost loved ones.
He says when firefighters were told their work was done for the day, but they wanted to get right back to help. Morris says one of them who was injured even left the hospital and went back in to find more survivors, only to lose his own life.
"Just the magnitude of that scene that night - it was a lot to see. It was a lot to see. I mean just with all that was going on. It was really hard to take in," said Morris.
Morris is just one of the thousands of courageous people that provided assistance. Stamford held a 9/11 ceremony at Jackie Robinson Park Wednesday morning. The Stamford Fire Department will hold a 9/11 ceremony in front of the Woodside Fire station on Washington Boulevard at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
