by Magee Hickey
Firefighters flocked to the Financial District Friday to battle early morning flames. The blaze broke out in a building that houses insurance companies, money managers and other businesses. And several firefighters were injured.
The three-alarmer broke out on the 29th floor of the 40 story office building at 80 Pine St. just after midnight.
More than 130 firefighters worked to put out the flames, which were difficult to reach on such a high floor of the office building.
Firefighters got the blaze under control within an hour, at around 1:30 a.m., but eight firefighters were injured slightly.
"We had fallen glass on Maiden Lane, which we immediately closed down...We put the fire out in pretty short order," said FDNY Deputy Chief James Daly.
The building was mostly empty except for a few people working overnight. Some were making repairs in the basement.
"I came out to the street and flames were shooting out the window. I almost got hit by falling glass. I think they got it under control. Hopefully no one got hurt," said one eyewitness named Nick.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, and the extent of the damage had not yet been determined.
There were no civilian injuries reported. The injured firefighters were taken to a local hospital.
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