by LINDSAY GREENE
An abandoned seven-story building on Governors Island set ablaze Monday by the FDNY became the latest training ground for firefighters.
The winds whipping off New York Bay will help simulate the wind-driven fires the Bravest face when they tackle high-rise infernos, officials said.
"Wind-driven fires in high-rise buildings are extremely deadly," said Chief of Department Salvatore Cassano. "They create situations where you have seconds to get out."
A combination of windows broken under pressure, doors left ajar and gusts of strong wind have the potential to cause what firefighters refer to as the blowtorch effect.
When strong winds reach fire, fireballs flash across the room and into hallways and temperatures can reach 2,000 degrees.
"It is no longer acceptable to keep throwing bodies at a fire," Battalion Chief Gerald Tracy said. "We need to provide areas where firefighters can be safe, and this is what we are trying to learn how to do."
Those areas include stairwells and hallways without the danger of fires blasting through apartment doors, he said.
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