Three 9/11 firefighters die of cancer in one day

Three New York firefighters who worked at the World Trade Center ruins after the September 11 attacks died within hours of each other from cancer, fire officials said. Howard Bischoff and Daniel Heglund were 58, while the third firefighter, Robert Leaver, was 56. All three men, who died Monday, had been retired since 2003.

Losing three firefighters on the same day to WTC-related illnesses is a painful reminder that, 13 years later, we continue to pay a terrible price for the department’s heroic efforts on September 11.

New York City Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro

Their deaths bring the number of rescue workers who have perished from September 11-related illnesses to 92. Tens of thousands of people, mainly emergency workers, have contracted respiratory, skin, and other ailments after being exposed to toxins at Ground Zero. The attacks on September 11, 2001 killed nearly 3,000 people, including 343 firefighters.

Americas three 9/11 firefighters