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Two New York City firefighters died Saturday fighting a massive seven-alarm blaze at the former headquarters of Deutsche Bank in Lower Manhattan, but city officials say the building and the area around it are now safe.
The vacant structure, known as the Deutsche Bank building, sustained severe damage in the September 11th terrorist attacks and was in the process of being demolished.
The blaze began shortly after 3:30 Saturday afternoon on the 20th floor of the building, sending dark smoke into the air over Lower Manhattan in a scene reminiscent of the attacks of six years ago.
Hundreds of firefighters from across the city responded to the blaze.
Two of them became trapped in the fire and were taken to NYU Medical Center, said Mayor Michael Bloomberg at press conference shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday. Joseph Graffagnino, 34, of Brooklyn, and Robert Beddia of Staten Island both died after going into cardiac arrest.
The two firefighters were from Ladder 5, Engine 24, which lost 11 members on 9/11.
The mayor said five other firefighters were injured fighting Saturday's blaze but were treated and released.
Although earlier reports suggested officials were concerned about the possibility of a further collapse, the mayor stressed that the building and the surrounding area is in no danger.
"We've had the Building Department in there," Bloomberg said. "They looked at every floor and they are totally convinced that the building is safe."
The mayor also said that initial air tests showed a minor elevation of particle smoke, but nothing harmful to area residents. He did, however, say that further testing would be done at the site.
The building was in the process of being torn down as part of the downtown rebuilding efforts. As of Tuesday, construction crews had already dismantled 14 of the building's 40 stories, leading some to speculate about the stability of the structure.
Several buildings in the area were evacuated Saturday evening but residents were allowed back in shortly thereafter.
Although there was no official word on the cause of the blaze, fire officials speculated that an electrical problem may have been to blame.
There have been 785 potential human remains found at the Deutsche Bank site since the 9/11 attacks. In recent years the discovery of human remains and toxic substances have slowed the demolition process.
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