MINNEAPOLIS -- A new exhibit that showcases the efforts of firefighters and other first responders during the 35W bridge collapse opened in northeast Minneapolis Saturday.
The exhibit, called "81 MINUTES: After the Bridge Collapsed" features pictures and quotes that capture the minutes between when dispatchers received the first call and the moment they cleared the last survivor from the bridge.
"This is all about what they faced that day, what these first responders faced that day," said Steve Skaar, a volunteer at the Firefighters Hall & Museum where the exhibit will remain permanently housed.
The exhibit also features video documentation -- including stories that aired on KARE 11 News on August 1, 2007 and the days that followed.
"I just need to see this once in a while to know that there's more to life than just going to work and coming home. And this can happen in an instant," said Jeanine Greenlee, who wanted to visit the exhibit on its first day.
The tribute to the 35W first responders is part of a larger "Minnesota Disasters" exhibit -- the bulk of which will be leaving the museum in August in order to tour throughout the state.
For more information about the museum, including location and hours, just go to: www.firehallmuseum.org.