You may be right...

I now seem to remember some statements about how they tried to get rescue helicopters to the roof, but couldn't fly through the smoke/crosswind/updrafts.

The only thing that may have worked is a running swan dive from the roof in a hood, fall through area with all the smoke/heat and then pop the chute. Even then I'd want a ram-air chute so that I could steer clear of obstacles and not just let the wind carry me wherever!

I doubt any of the victims just happened to have a performance chute and an escape hood on them that day.