The beam is going to Colorado as thanks to those who helped search for victims at ground zero.
A piece of steel from the World Trade Center began its trip across the country Wednesday, destined for Colorado to thank firefighters there who helped search for victims in the rubble of ground zero after 9/11.
Firefighters in Warren County were among those assembling honor guards on Interstate 80 crossings as a tribute to the victims and those who aided them.
The five-foot-long, 3,500-pound I-beam is one of the last pieces of the World Trade Center being given to a fire department, according to the Poudre Fire Authority in Fort Collins, Colorado, where the beam is headed.
The #PoudreFireWTCBeam team is headed to CO. Pics of the trip can be uploaded/viewed at https://t.co/TVm393gx3A pic.twitter.com/6ZIpYzATd0
-- Poudre Fire (@poudrefire) October 21, 2015
Members of the fire authority were part of a search and rescue team dispatched to the remains of the twin towers in New York City following the 2001 terror attacks, and they spent weeks looking for victims, according to the authority's website.
"This tribute is a national response, just like the response to 9/11 was a national response," said John Kruk, assistant chief of the Hope Township Volunteer Fire Department.
The department was assembling trucks and volunteers for the I-80 overpass in the township. Some of them had to take an hour or so off work, but didn't think twice, Kruk said.
"We feel it is our duty to pay tribute to them," he said, referring to the victims of the attack and to fellow firefighters.
Delaware Water Gap, Pa. Is ready for #PoudreFireWTCBeam pic.twitter.com/wzWpRIYsPg
-- MARK SUJKOWSKI (@MARCUSSTATION5) October 21, 2015
The beam is being escorted by more than 100 emergency service agencies, including the Patriot Guard Riders and American Veterans, the Poudre Fire Authority said on its website. When it arrives in Fort Collins, it is to be used as a memorial outside one of the firehouses until a more permanent monument can be built.
The authority said the steel was donated by the Port Authority and the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund -- named for a New York Firefighter who died when the towers collapsed.
Passing through Allamuchy Township. #poudrefirewtcbeam pic.twitter.com/RJI1U20lMP
-- Tom Ghinder (@akornoh) October 21, 2015
FOLLOW THE JOURNEY
The Poudre Fire Authority is tracking the progress of the World Trade Center steel beam as it makes its way from New York to Fort Collins, Colorado, with the map below.
The authority also encourages anyone who sees the procession to post photos on social media with the hashtag #PoudreFireWTCBeam, upload them to www.yogile.com/poudrefirewtcbeam, or email them to poudrefirewtcbeam@yogile.com.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.