On September 11, 2001, Hale Gurland, a helicopter pilot, multidisciplinary artist, and sculptor with expertise in welding, rushed to Ground Zero with his torches, tanks, and gauges. Working nights and sleeping days, Gurland aided in the search-and-rescue efforts, pausing occasionally to record images. Over the course of four days, Gurland exposed just five rolls of film.

Hale Gurland is an artist in New York City.

All photographs © Hale Gurland/Contact Press Images. Courtesy the artist