Conspriacy theorists went wild with speculation when the 3rd Trade Towers building came crashing down even thought it was not directly hit by an aircraft. “It was an explosion that brought it down!” They cried! But, mostly obviously nobody heard an explosion and it would take one big explosion to bring down that building. Besides the
obvious, there’s never been any bomb trace evidence…despite a through inspection.
So, what did it? Fire, just like Towers One and Two. When flaming debris blew out of the second tower and crashed into the 3rd structure it started another firestorm inside the structure just like the other structures. A similar design was to prove very vulnerable to heat. Also the watermain had been shattered when the first structure collapsed so the buildings sprinklers system was off.
The 77-page report concluded that the fatal blow to the building came when the 13th floor collapsed, weakening a critical steel support column that led to catastrophic failure.
“When this critical column buckled due to lack of floor supports, it was the first domino in the chain,” said Sunder.
The NIST investigators issued more than a dozen building recommendations as a result of their inquiry, most of which repeat earlier recommendations from their investigation into the collapse of the two large towers.
In both instances, investigators concluded that extreme heat caused some steel beams to lose strength, causing further failures throughout the buildings until the entire structure succumbed.
The recommendations include building skyscrapers with stronger connections and framing systems to resist the effects of thermal expansion, and structural systems designed to prevent damage to one part of a building from spreading to other parts.
A spokeswoman for the leaseholder of the World Trade Center, developer Larry Silverstein, praised the government’s work.
“Hopefully this thorough report puts to rest the various 9/11 conspiracy theories, which dishonor the men and women who lost their lives on that terrible day,” said Silverstein spokeswoman Dara McQuillen.
In discussing the findings, the investigator Sunder acknowledged that some may still not be convinced, but insisted the science behind their findings is “incredibly conclusive.”
“The public should really recognize the science is really behind what we have said,” he said, adding: “The obvious stares you in the face.”