New York Fire Lieutenant Dies Of 9/11-Related Cancer

NEW YORK, NY — A lieutenant with New York City's fire department died Wednesday of a 9/11-related illness, the department said on Friday.

Edith Torres died Wednesday more than 15 years after she responded to Ground Zero during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Torres was diagnosed with cervical cancer in October, her brother told the New York Daily News.

"With regret, the Department announces the death of Active Lieutenant Edith Elida Torres, Bureau of Communications, appointed November 1, 1993," the department wrote in a statement. "This member bravely served this Department protecting life and property in the City of New York in the rescue and recovery at Manhattan Box 5-5-8087 World Trade Center."

Jose Torres, Edith's brother, told the Daily News that his sister was off-duty when the planes struck the Twin Towers in 2001, but she responded immediately.

"She had called me, probably around 6, 7 o'clock at night to see how I was doing," Torres said, according to the Daily News. "She told me that things were very rough, things were very bad, it was a war zone, it was chaos and that she was exhausted but that she had work to do."

Patch spoke to John Feal, founder of the FealGood Foundation, last week after the death of NYPD Deputy Chief James Molloy from 9/11-related brain cancer. Feal told Patch that the exact number of people who have died from 9/11-related illnesses is impossible to determine. He estimated that as many as 1,800 people have died from illnesses sustained at Ground Zero.

"Most people think about the buildings coming down," Feal said last week. "The aftermath, and toxins that were released cause of the buildings coming down, has caused harm 16 years later."

The funeral will be on Monday, the department said. Information about viewing hours is here.

Image via Shutterstock.