LCFD marks 23 years since Sept. 11

The Las Cruces Fire Department recognized the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon 23 years after the day this week.  

Starting at 7:30 a.m., the firefighters of Station 1 on Picacho Avenue near city hall held silent watch until 8:46 a.m., honoring the moment the first plane struck the World Trade Center. 

At that point, the fire department rang a ceremonial bell for each significant moment on the morning of Sept. 11 as a massive garrison flag flew over the ceremony. 

• 8:46 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into North Tower.
• 9:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into South Tower.
• 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon.
• 9:59 a.m., the collapse of South Tower.
• 10:03 a.m., United Flight 93 crashes near Shanksville, Pa.
• 10:28 a.m., the collapse of North Tower.

The death toll from Sept. 11 was 2,996 people, including 343 firefighters. 

Over the following decades, at least 377 more first responders have died from illness stemming from their proximity to the collapsing towers, according to the New York Police Department. 

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that about 400,000 people were exposed to toxins released by the collapsing towers.