by JONATHAN LEMIRE and GREG B. SMITH
Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta Friday said there are "many potential culprits" doing the smoking and drinking inside the former Deutsche Bank tower.
"I just found it astonishing," Scoppetta said of the Daily News' revelation that inspectors found cigarette packs and beer cans inside the troubled building where two firefighters died in a blaze started by a tossed cigarette.
"It's arrogance and total contempt for the regulations there," he said. "Two firefighters died as a result of careless smoking. Now, here they are again smoking and enjoying a beer on the premises. These are people who think the law doesn't apply to them."
The Deutsche Bank tower was badly damaged in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and is in the process of being demolished. Two firefighters died in an Aug. 18, 2007, fire that investigators believe was started by a cigarette possibly tossed by a worker.
Last week, FDNY fire marshals launched an investigation after a state-hired consultant discovered empty Newport packs and Budweiser beer cans on the third floor. Marshals discovered more evidence of smoking and drinking on other floors.
Scoppetta said marshals had finished 470 interviews of workers with 40 to go. He said some workers have been "singled out" for second interviews.
He also revealed that some workers initially balked at cooperating until they were threatened with subpoenas. The FDNY is considering increasing its presence at the building, he said.
"This is not just the kind of violation where you say to someone 'Knock it off,'" he said. "This has to be dealt with seriously. We're going to treat this as reckless endangerment, not just some sort of violation."
Deputy Mayor Edward Skyler, who has been monitoring the investigation since last week, said Friday it was "incomprehensible that workers would jeopardize further loss of life by continuing to smoke in this building."
Jack McDonnell, president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, expressed similar outrage.
"You have people working at this site who have no regard for regulations - regulations that, unfortunately, were written with the blood of firefighters who are no longer with us," he said.
The state agency that owns the building, the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., said it immediately notified the city after one of its subcontractors made the discovery on Aug. 26.
An LMDC spokesman would not comment.
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