William Burke
Born
William Francis Burke Jr.

March 9, 1955[1]
New York City, U.S.
DiedSeptember 11, 2001(2001-09-11) (aged 46)
North Tower, World Trade Center, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Cause of deathCollapse of the North Tower (September 11 attacks)
NationalityAmerican
Other namesBilly Burke
OccupationFirefighter
Known forsacrificing himself on September 11, 2001

William Francis Burke Jr. (March 9, 1955 – September 11, 2001) was a Fire Captain with the Fire Department of New York, who was killed in the September 11 attacks. Burke died when he chose to stay with stranded civilians in the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Burke was the only member of Engine 21 who died in the attacks.[2]

Life and career

William Francis Burke Jr. was born in New York City on March 9, 1955 to William Francis Burke Jr. and Agnes Burke. The second of six children, Burke grew up in Plainview, New York.[2] He graduated from Plainview – Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School.

Inspired by his father, who worked as Deputy Fire Chief for the New York City Fire Department, Billy served as a firefighter for two decades prior to the September 11 attacks.[3][2] Burke also worked a side job as a lifeguard at Robert Moses State Park.[2] He resided in Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village in lower Manhattan.

Outside of work, Burke had multiple hobbies and interests. Burke was an avid photographer and wrote short stories in his spare time. Burke was fascinated in the American Civil War. Burke's sister, Dr. Elizabeth Berry, remarked that he had enough knowledge of the war to give tours of the Gettysburg Battlefield.[4]

Death

Early in the morning of September 11, 2001, Burke prayed at the Congregation Shaare Zion synagogue with his brother, Jack.[2] Burke and his company, Engine 21, responded to American Airlines Flight 11 striking the North Tower of the World Trade Center.[5] Burke and numerous other firefighters gathered in the lobby of the North Tower were captured on camera by filmmaker Jules Naudet.[5]

Inside the North Tower, Fellow Fire Captain Jay Jonas had been with Burke at 9:59 a.m. as the neighboring South Tower collapsed. After feeling the collapse, they agreed that this meant the collapse of the North Tower was imminent.[4] Fire Lieutenant Gregg Hansson and Burke came to an agreement that Hansson would lead Engine 21 down Stairwell C while Burke stayed behind on the 27th floor to assist Ed Beyea, a quadriplegic in a wheelchair, and his friend Abe Zelmanowitz, who had chosen to stay with him.[2][4] All three men died when the North Tower collapsed at 10:28 am.[5][6]

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 believed Burke knew the building's collapse was inevitable and knew he was sacrificing his own life.[4]

Beyea and Zelmanowitz's remains were located together, but Burke's remains were never found. His Funeral Mass was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral on October 25, 2001.[2]

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][7]

The January 17, 2002 episode of the NBC sitcom Friends, "The One Where Chandler Takes a Bath", depicts Joey Tribbiani wearing a shirt with "Engine 21" and Burke's name written on it as a tribute during the opening scene.

References

  1. ↑ "William Francis Burke, Jr". National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Archived from the original on 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Heleringer, Bob (September 6, 2016). "9/11: The story of Ed, Abe and Capt. Billy". The Courier-Journal. Archived from the original on May 30, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2023. 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. 1 2 Kirst, Sean (May 19, 2016). "Nearly 15 years after 9/11, memories linger for family of hero firefighter". Buffalo News. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023. 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. 1 2 3 4 Kirst, Sean (September 11, 2011). "Capt. Billy Burke and a choice made on Sept. 11: 'This is what I do.'". The Post-Standard. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023. 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.
  5. 1 2 3 "'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.
  6. ↑ "9/11/01 timeline: How the September 11, 2001 attacks unfolded". WPVI-TV. September 11, 2023. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  7. ↑ Lapin, Tamar (June 3, 2018). "World Trade Center climb leads to proposal". New York Post. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023. 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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