AUBURN — The pandemic is not preventing the Auburn Fire Department from holding its annual ceremony Friday to remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost in attacks by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001.
Because the Central Fire Station on Minot Avenue is closed to the public due to the pandemic, the ceremony on the 19th anniversary will be livestreamed on the city’s Facebook page starting about 8:30 a.m.
The ceremony will include speakers, an honor guard, a flag ceremony and ringing bells, Capt. Scott Pray said.
The bells will ring and the flag ceremony will begin at exactly 8:46 a.m., at time the first airplane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.
On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four airplanes. Two of them struck the North and South towers at the World Trade Center. Another plane slammed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane was headed to an unknown target in Washington, D.C., but crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers fought with the terrorists.
Two of the Sept. 11 terrorists flew out of the Portland International Jetport on the morning of the hijackings.
A total of 2,977 people plus the 19 terrorists died in the four attacks that day. According to the New York Fire Department, 343 firefighters died.
Six people from Maine were killed in the attacks.
In addition to the virtual ceremony, the Auburn Fire Department will also hold its annual Red Cross blood drive at the Central Fire Station from 1 to 5 p.m. Anyone wishing to give blood should register at https://www.redcrossblood.org/.
In Lewiston, an honor guard will lay a wreath in a brief ceremony at the Central Station on Bates Street at 9 a.m.
Other planned ceremonies include one on Main Street in Norway across from the American Legion Hall from 8:45 to 10:30 a.m. Participants are asked to wear red, white and/or blue, and bring a flag to wave. Livermore Falls will hold a candlelight vigil at 6 p.m. in Union Park.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.