Last 9/11 Firefighter Remains at Ten House

Nearly 25 years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Sal Argano remains the last firefighter assigned to Manhattan’s Ten House who still works there. Argano was working at a Brooklyn station when the hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center, avoiding the firehouse’s destruction and the deaths of six colleagues among the 343 New York City firefighters killed that day. Ten House, home to Engine 10 and Ladder 10, continues to operate as an emergency station while also serving as an informal 9/11 memorial, drawing visitors to its bronze relief honoring fallen firefighters and its location across from the National September 11 Memorial. Firefighters who served there describe the station’s role as a command center and refuge in the aftermath, while current personnel navigate its unusual status as both a working firehouse and a destination for mourners and tourists.