by Jeff Harrell
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A massive blaze in an abandoned building at Ground Zero claimed the life of a West Brighton firefighter and his comrade from Brooklyn yesterday as black smoke poured into the sky over Lower Manhattan and served as an eerie reminder of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Robert Beddia, 54, of Allen Court, a 23-year FDNY veteran, and Joseph Graffagnino, 33, of Brooklyn, were killed trying to reach the inferno that swept through the vacant 40-story former Deutsche Bank building at 130 Liberty St. overlooking Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan.
Both Beddia and Graffagnino, an eight-year veteran firefighter, died from cardiac arrest at New York Downtown Hospital after inhaling high levels of toxic carbon monoxide when they became trapped in the fire, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said last night.
At least five additional firefighters were hospitalized for smoke inhalation; all were treated and released from the hospital, the mayor said.
The fire broke out on the 20th floor of the former headquarters for Deutsche Bank at about 3:30 p.m.
With scaffolding aflame on the sides of the building and smoke pouring from the top of the skyscraper that was visible from parts of Staten Island, it only took three minutes for the first of 275 firefighters and 70 units to reach the blaze and shut down the West Side Highway up to Canal Street.
Fire officials declared the blaze four alarms at 5:13 p.m., then upgraded it to five alarms about an hour later, and to six alarms by 7 p.m.
At 8 p.m., the city's Bravest were still battling flames on multiple floors when seven alarms were called.
Beddia, of Engine Company 54, and Graffagnino, who was working out of Ladder Company 5 -- both of which are located in the same firehouse on 6th Avenue in Greenwich Village -- reportedly were trapped in the building at around 5:15 p.m.
Both were rushed to New York Downtown Hospital where doctors began efforts to revive them as soon as Fire Department rescue vehicles pulled into the emergency room.
Douglas Richardson of Westerleigh was at the medical center for foot surgery when he saw the emergency vehicles pull up carrying to the two critically-injured firefighters.
"He was choking. All the doctors tried to run out to save his life," Richardson said of the attempts to revive Graffagnino. "He was going under, trying to cling to the doctors. He was really fighting to stay alive."
Richardson said Beddia "died right next to me. I heard him gasping. He really didn't want to die. It was really sad. I'm in total shock after what I saw."
Swirling winds and flammable construction materials inside the vacant high-rise fueled the fire that continued to rage last night and kept investigators from determining a cause, although fire officials said an electrical problem may have been to blame.
The mayor expressed "concern" over the air quality and environmental conditions next to the site where the Twin Towers fell Sept. 11, 2001, but added, "We do not see a need for a frozen zone other than in the immediate area."
Bloomberg noted that the Deutsche Bank building was in "no danger of collapse ... aluminum decking may melt but the structure is safe."
The Deutsche Bank building, which was vacant since being severely damaged in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, was in the process of being torn down as part of the city's downtown rebuilding efforts when the fire broke out.
To date, remains from 785 victims of the World Trade Center attacks have been found at the Deutsche Bank building, according to 9/11 victims' advocate Dennis McKeon.
"They continue to find remains there," McKeon said. "They're in the process of taking the building down."
The Deutsche Bank building has become a constant headache for redevelopers since the attacks on the World Trade Center. The 1.4 million square foot office tower was contaminated with toxic dust and debris after the South Tower collapsed into it, and efforts to bring the skyscraper down were halted last year by a labor dispute as well as the ongoing search for the remains of 9/11 victims.
Beddia and Graffagnino are the 1,136th and 1,137th members of the FDNY to be killed in the line of duty during the Department's 143-year history.
"A very sad day for New York," Bloomberg said of the tragic deaths.
Beddia and Graffagnino are the second and third firefighters to be killed this year. In June, firefighter Daniel F. Pujdak of Ladder Company 146 died when he fell from the roof of a building in Brooklyn while battling an all-hands fire.
Jeff Harrell is a news reporter for the Advance. He may be reached at harrell@siadvance.com. SHIRT
ASSOCIATED PRESS material was used for this report.
 |
