WTC 5 was a nine-story building that stood east of the North Tower (WTC 1). The building had two dozen tenants, with its fourth through ninth floors being occupied almost entirely by Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse First Boston, and government agencies.

Evacuation

Apparently the evacuation of Building 5 began shortly after the North Tower was hit. The South Tower crash deposited some remains of Flight 175's hull on the roof of WTC 5, according to FEMA's Report.

Damage

WTC 5 was severely damaged by fallout from the destruction of the Towers. Large falling pieces of steel from the Towers' perimeter walls are the probable cause of the holes in the roof seen from above. The pattern of damage of the building's structure does not support the idea that it was caused by explosives in the building.

Fires

Serious fires raged through WTC 5 for hours. Despite the massive structural damage shown by the holes, and fires far more severe than those in WTC 1, 2, and 7, WTC 5 did not collapse. FEMA's report has a number of photographs of Building 5 wreckage, and concludes that fires caused the collapse of portions of this building, without making a convincing case.

Destruction

WTC 5 was demolished as part of the clean-up of Ground Zero.

page last modified: 2006-12-23