New Yorkers, do you remember that strange, fierce swirling wind that blew through town on 9/11/02? This is weird and creepy, this fire.
http://www.1010wins.com/pages/826505.php?contentType=4&contentId=813020Posted: Saturday, 18 August 2007 11:14PM
Two FDNY Firefighters Killed in 7-Alarm Blaze NEW YORK -- A seven-alarm blaze in a skyscraper abandoned on Sept. 11 killed two firefighters and raised concerns that toxic substances in the building could spread in the plume of smoke that trailed above ground zero, although officials said preliminary tests showed no danger.
The fire in the former Deutsche Bank office building brought the stench of smoke and the screech of sirens back to an area still recovering from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. It was another tragedy for a firehouse that had already lost 11 members in the attacks.
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The blaze began about a dozen floors up and was burning on multiple floors at the building, steps from where 343 firefighters lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. Construction crews had already dismantled 14 of the building's 40 stories _ reaching the 26th floor on Tuesday.
Some firefighters used stairs to reach the burning upper floors; others smashed out the building's windows to let in more air to reach the flames.
More than two hours after the blaze was first reported, it was declared a seven-alarm fire. Officials pushed onlookers further back from the building and set up a command post on the West Side Highway. Officials could be seen poring over a map of the area, and scaffolding on the sides of the building was aflame. Smoke was visible from midtown Manhattan and the New Jersey side of the Hudson River.
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The 1.4 million square foot office tower stood as a downtown Manhattan eyesore, contaminated with toxic dust and debris after the World Trade Center's south tower collapsed into it.
Efforts to dismantle the skyscraper were halted by a labor dispute last year, along with the ongoing search for the remains of attack victims.
More than 700 bones and fragments were discovered in the contaminated skyscraper from mid-2005 to June of this year, including some positively matched this year to a previously unidentified victim. The last bones found at the building were in March, leading city officials to conclude their search three months later.
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Two years ago, redevelopment officials said the building contained excessive levels of seven hazardous substances, including dioxin and lead. As part of the tear down, a dozen air quality monitors were installed in the area around the building.
Emergency management officials said authorities were continuing to investigate whether the smoke at the scene could pose any environmental danger.
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