Lewisporte firefighters receive piece of World Trade Center steel

Two Lewisporte Regional Fire-Rescue members are marking the 25th anniversary of September 11 with a lasting reminder of the day the community opened its doors to stranded travellers.

Battalion Chief Rob Fudge and Assistant Chief Stephen Cole received a piece of steel recovered from the rubble of the World Trade Center in New York as part of a Pay It Forward 9/11 initiative.

Twenty-five years ago, Fudge and Cole were among those in Lewisporte who responded when 38 aircraft carrying more than 7,000 passengers and crew members were diverted to Gander following the September 11 attacks.

Communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador opened their homes and public spaces to the stranded passengers, offering food, shelter and support while they waited to learn when they could continue their journeys.

Pay It Forward 9/11 was formed in the years following the attacks and works to carry forward acts of kindness associated with the response to the tragedy.

The steel was transported from Washington, D.C., to Gander by Pay It Forward 9/11 board member, paramedic and firefighter Garrett Shield before being delivered to Lewisporte.