CLOVIS, Calif. (KGPE) – Thursday marks 24 years since the Sept. 11 terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
Over the years, countless stories of loss, survival, resilience, and hope have been heard. But few have heard the story of Erik Ronningen, who is believed to be the last person to escape the South Tower alive, seconds before it collapsed.
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Ronningen was on the 71st floor of the North Tower the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. It was supposed to be a special day as he was awaiting a promotion.
“I’d been a consultant for five years, and this morning at 9 a.m. I was meeting with the executive director, who is the equivalent of a president of a corporation, and the director of security, to become an employee with all the benefits that entails, and that was today!” he said. “It was a good day for me, and the time is 8:46, and the tower just exploded above my head.”…