Billy Burke (firefighter)

William Francis Burke Jr. was a Fire Captain with the Fire Department of New York, who died during the September 11 attacks in 2001. Burke died when he chose to stay with stranded civilians, which his colleagues believe he knew would cost him his life. Burke was also the only member of Engine 21 who died on 9/11.[2]

For the actor who plays a firefighter, see Billy Burke (actor).
William Burke
Born
William Francis Burke Jr.

March 9, 1955[1]
New York City
DiedSeptember 11, 2001(2001-09-11) (aged 46)
World Trade Center
NationalityAmerican
Other namesBilly Burke
OccupationFirefighter
Known forsacrificing himself on September 11, 2001

The September 11 attacks

On September 11, 2001, Burke, the son of a former Deputy Fire Chief,[3] was with his company, Engine 21,[4] inside the North Tower of the World Trade Center, when he encountered, in Stairwell C, Ed Beyea, a man in a wheelchair he realized could not be evacuated before the building collapsed.[3] Abe Zelmanowitz, a friend of the man, had chosen to stay with him. Burke ordered his men out of the building, while he remained with the two men. Beyea and Zelmanowitz's remains were located together, but Burke's remains were never found.[2]

Fellow Fire Captain Jay Jonas had been with Burke at 9:59 a.m., when they felt their tower shake, as the neighboring South Tower collapsed. He described how they agreed this meant the collapse of their tower was imminent.[5]

Fire Lieutenant Gregg Hansson met Burke for the first time the morning of the attack, and was the last surviving person to see Burke. He has described realizing Burke's decision saved his life. He believed Burke knew the building's collapse was imminent and knew he was sacrificing his own life.[5]

Legacy

Burke's brother Michael organized an annual climb of One World Trade Center, the replacement for the World Trade Center towers, in memory of Burke and his colleagues.[3][6]

In honor of his sacrifice, the January 17, 2002 episode of the NBC sitcom Friends pays tribute to Captain Burke by having Joey wearing a shirt with "Engine 21" and his name, as Captain Burke was in charge of that station on the day of the September 11 attacks.

References
  1. "William Francis Burke, Jr". National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Archived from the original on 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  2. Bob Heleringer (2016-09-06). "/11: The story of Ed, Abe and Capt. Billy". Courier-Journal. Archived from the original on May 30, 2021. Retrieved 2019-10-03. After the collapse of Tower 2, Burke had ordered his men from Engine 21 out of the North Tower. When they emerged onto the street, they looked back and realized their captain wasn't with them.
  3. Sean Kirst (2016-05-19). "Nearly 15 years after 9/11, memories linger for family of hero firefighter". Buffalo News. Retrieved 2019-10-03. Amid the chaos on Sept. 11, Billy – a captain with Engine 21 – led the men in his command to the 27th floor of the north tower. Their mission was to evacuate any stragglers. Billy, 46, was searching for civilians when the building shook -- a nauseating sensation -- and he ran to a window and looked outside. The south tower had collapsed, shaking the ground. Billy, whose father had been a deputy fire chief in New York, knew the building where he stood would be next to go.
  4. "'I See His Beautiful Blue Eyes': Pompano Beach Woman Recalls Seeing Hero Brother, NYFD Capt. Billy Burke, In 9/11 Documentary". CBS Miami. September 10, 2021. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  5. Sean Kirst (2011-09-11). "Capt. Billy Burke and a choice made on Sept. 11: 'This is what I do.'". The Post-Standard. Retrieved 2019-10-03. Hansson did not expect to find Burke, a captain and a superior officer, with this little group of men. They spoke for a matter of seconds. A decision was made, as much by a nod and body language as by words themselves. Burke assumed command of the civilians, while Hansson and his men resumed their harrowing journey down a stairwell. Hansson is now a captain. What he didn't realize then is always with him now: Billy Burke, he said, sacrificed his own life to save theirs.
  6. Tamar Lapin (2018-06-03). "World Trade Center climb leads to proposal". New York Post. Retrieved 2019-10-03. The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which supports the loved ones of fallen first responders, organized the trek to honor FDNY 9/11 hero Captain Billy Burke. This made the opportunity for a proposal especially meaningful to the Rochester couple.
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