SURFSIDE, Fla. — One by one, 98 names were read aloud early Wednesday morning as families, survivors, first responders and community members gathered in Surfside to honor the victims of the Champlain Towers South collapse, one of the deadliest building failures in U.S. history.
The 12-story condominium building collapsed in the early morning hours of June 24, 2021, while many residents were asleep inside. Ninety-eight people lost their lives.
During the Lighting of the Torch ceremony, a torch was presented as a symbol of hope, resilience and remembrance.
“This torch is more than a light -- it is a promise, a promise that we will forever remember, that we will honor, that we will never allow these lives to be forgotten,” one speaker said.
A firefighter participating in the ceremony echoed that message.
“And let the light shine through all of us,” the firefighter said.
Only three people were rescued alive from the rubble following the collapse. Among them was Devin Gonzalez, who was 16 years old at the time. Her mother also survived.
Gonzalez lost her father in the tragedy.
“The rest of my family, my sister made it out because she wasn’t home that night, but my father was one of the 98 people that passed away, so he did not make it,” Gonzalez said.
Five years later, Gonzalez said the pain remains, but she hopes lessons learned from the collapse will help prevent a similar disaster from happening again.
“Yes, it’s angering and it’s hurtful, but to focus on the future, on things that we can do so that nothing like this ever happens again,” she said.
A rescue expert from Israel, whose team specializes in locating people trapped in collapsed structures, said they worked around the clock to help in every way they could.
“We are honored to be able to help,” he said. “It’s a mitzvah to help the other, even if you don’t know the person. We are all humans and it doesn’t matter where we are. We are together to help each other -- one for all and all for one.”
For many first responders who spent weeks searching through the debris, the memories remain vivid.
“When we say we are never going to forget, we are never going to forget,” a firefighter said. “And those who were here — the thousands of first responders and community leaders that were here — we can never forget.”
The annual ceremony served as both a tribute to the 98 lives lost and a reminder of the lasting impact the collapse continues to have on families, survivors and the South Florida community.
The tragic anniversary comes after the National Institute of Standards and Technology released a report stating that the deadly destruction of the condominium actually started weeks before it collapsed into a pile of rubble in the middle of the night.
According to the report, two connections between garage columns and the pool deck started to fail around early June 2021. The combination of a structure design that did not meet building codes and alterations made to it over its 40 years meant that the other parts of the pool deck weren’t strong enough to withstand the extra load, leading to the type of slow-motion collapse.
Another remembrance ceremony at 88th Street and Collins Avenue in Surfside will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday and will be livestreamed at the top of this page.
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
