2 Firefighters Die In Ground Zero Blaze
A seven-alarm fire ripped through an abandoned skyscraper next to Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan Saturday, killing two firefighters who were responding to the blaze.
One of the firefighters killed was identified as Joseph Graffagnino, 34, of Brooklyn, a member of Ladder 5. Also killed was Robert Beddia, 53, of Staten Island of Engine 24. Both were members of Ladder 5, Engine 24 in Greenwich Village.
Bloomberg said both firefighters had become trapped, inhaled a great deal of smoke and gone into cardiac arrest.
CBS Station WCBS reports that eight other firefighters were seriously hurt, and 42 others had minor injuries.
"Today's events really are another cruel blow to our city and to our fire department," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. He said the fire had "expanded our loss."
The plume of gray smoke that trailed above the site of the World Trade Center — a scarily familiar sight to many in the New York area — raised concerns that toxic substances in the building could be spreading.
Officers at the scene late Saturday prevented nearby residents from returning to their homes, telling them that authorities were concerned the former Deutsche Bank office building, vacant since the 2001 terrorist attacks turned it into a toxic nightmare, could fall. Bloomberg said that fear turned out to be unfounded.
Bloomberg sought to reassure residents that the chemicals in the building likely did not present a significant health risk, saying air-quality tests so far showed no danger.
"Having said that, we are extremely careful. We don't want to prejudge anything," the mayor added. Tests were to continue overnight, he said.
The smoke had cleared by Sunday morning. But broken-out windows and burned plywood siding testify to the blaze that took more than seven hours to extinguish.
Nearby, a firehouse is in mourning for firefighters Beddia and Graffagnino. Bloomberg said they were trapped and inhaled a great deal of smoke while fighting the flames.
The 54-year-old Beddia had been a firefighter for 23 years. Graffagnino had been with the FDNY for eight years. He was 33.
Fire marshals are investigating the cause of the blaze.
The Deutsche Bank building was left vacant after the September 11th attacks turned it into a toxic nightmare. It's in the process of being dismantled.
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 of the building, just steps from where 343 firefighters lost their lives in the 2001 terror attacks.
CBS Station WCBS correspondent Ti-Hua Chang reports that firefighters say there were no working stand pipes or pipes with water in the abandoned building, and firehoses had to be pulled by rope to the upper floors; the Fires Department has not confirmed this.
Smoke pouring from the burning building was visible from midtown Manhattan and the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. Fire officials declared the blaze under control late Saturday.
The acrid smell of smoke, which hung over the neighborhood for days after Sept. 11, returned to lower Manhattan along with the wail of emergency vehicles. More than five dozen fire vehicles, with more than 270 firefighters, responded to the blaze as pieces of burning debris fell from the building to the streets.
Residents said they weren't allowed home even to rescue their pets.
"We heard this crackling," said Elizabeth Hughes, who saw the fire start from her rooftop deck across from the tower. "And then a huge fire that went up three floors fast. It was massive. ... Oh my God! I can't even go in and get my cats."
By late Saturday evening, nearby residents who had been evacuated were told they could return.
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. One of the firefighters killed was identified as Joseph Graffagnino, 34, of Brooklyn, a member of Ladder 5. Also killed was Robert Beddia, 53, of Staten Island of Engine 24. Both were members of Ladder 5, Engine 24 in Greenwich Village.
Bloomberg said both firefighters had become trapped, inhaled a great deal of smoke and gone into cardiac arrest.
CBS Station WCBS reports that eight other firefighters were seriously hurt, and 42 others had minor injuries.
"Today's events really are another cruel blow to our city and to our fire department," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. He said the fire had "expanded our loss."
The plume of gray smoke that trailed above the site of the World Trade Center — a scarily familiar sight to many in the New York area — raised concerns that toxic substances in the building could be spreading.
Officers at the scene late Saturday prevented nearby residents from returning to their homes, telling them that authorities were concerned the former Deutsche Bank office building, vacant since the 2001 terrorist attacks turned it into a toxic nightmare, could fall. Bloomberg said that fear turned out to be unfounded.
Bloomberg sought to reassure residents that the chemicals in the building likely did not present a significant health risk, saying air-quality tests so far showed no danger.
"Having said that, we are extremely careful. We don't want to prejudge anything," the mayor added. Tests were to continue overnight, he said.
The smoke had cleared by Sunday morning. But broken-out windows and burned plywood siding testify to the blaze that took more than seven hours to extinguish.
Nearby, a firehouse is in mourning for firefighters Beddia and Graffagnino. Bloomberg said they were trapped and inhaled a great deal of smoke while fighting the flames.
The 54-year-old Beddia had been a firefighter for 23 years. Graffagnino had been with the FDNY for eight years. He was 33.
Fire marshals are investigating the cause of the blaze.
The Deutsche Bank building was left vacant after the September 11th attacks turned it into a toxic nightmare. It's in the process of being dismantled.
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 of the building, just steps from where 343 firefighters lost their lives in the 2001 terror attacks.
CBS Station WCBS correspondent Ti-Hua Chang reports that firefighters say there were no working stand pipes or pipes with water in the abandoned building, and firehoses had to be pulled by rope to the upper floors; the Fires Department has not confirmed this.
Smoke pouring from the burning building was visible from midtown Manhattan and the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. Fire officials declared the blaze under control late Saturday.
The acrid smell of smoke, which hung over the neighborhood for days after Sept. 11, returned to lower Manhattan along with the wail of emergency vehicles. More than five dozen fire vehicles, with more than 270 firefighters, responded to the blaze as pieces of burning debris fell from the building to the streets.
Residents said they weren't allowed home even to rescue their pets.
"We heard this crackling," said Elizabeth Hughes, who saw the fire start from her rooftop deck across from the tower. "And then a huge fire that went up three floors fast. It was massive. ... Oh my God! I can't even go in and get my cats."
By late Saturday evening, nearby residents who had been evacuated were told they could return.
- no previous page
- next
1/2
Popular on CBSNews.com
- Bridge collapse blamed on tractor-trailer 280 Comments
- Washington state bridge collapses 20 Photos
- Port Authority releases photo of One WTC workers at dizzying heights
- Best U.S. beaches 2013 10 Photos
- No fatalities in I-5 bridge collapse in NW Wash. 141 Comments
- Earthquake, multiple aftershocks jolt Californians
- Clean-up efforts underway in Okla. 29 Photos
- Boy Scouts approve plan to accept openly gay boys 1125 Comments
"The Joint Inquiry Into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001," which was released in late 2002, included 28 pages that were blanked out, apparently concerning the possible role of Saudi government officials. Those aren''t the only blank spots in the public record. As the Voice reported in October, there are multiple redactions in the FDNY oral histories that in some cases seem to concern the radios or suspicious activity near the WTC site before and during the attacks
The BBC''s ''WTC 7 Collapsed
At 4:54 p.m.'' Videos
At 21:54 London Time on 9/11/2001 the BBC announced that WTC 7 had collapsed. There was just one problem with this news: WTC 7 did not collapse until 22:20 London Time.
The videos below show the BBC World broadcast.
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/bbc_wtc7_videos.html
Childish childish childish
On 9/11 the south tower of the WTC burned for just 56 minutes before collapsing, while the north tower lasted around an hour and 45 minutes. According to the official transcripts of the firefighter tapes, fires in both towers were almost out immediately before the collapses.
The 40 story Deutsche Bank building next to the ground zero site in New York, where the world trade center once stood, caught fire yesterday and burned intensely for seven hours without collapsing
This represents another modern day miracle in light of the commonly accepted premise that since 9/11, all steel buildings that suffer limited fire damage implode within two hours. This building had even suffered structural damage on 9/11 and had been partially dismantled.
The raging fire, which killed two firefighters, was finally declared under control late saturday afternoon, a full seven hours after it had begun to burn.
On 9/11 the south tower of the WTC burned for just 56 minutes before collapsing, while the north tower lasted around an hour and 45 minutes. According to the official transcripts of the firefighter tapes, fires in both towers were almost out immediately before the collapses.
The saving grace that could have prevented Deutsche Bank from imploding may have been the fact that it was not hit by a plane, as the twin towers were on 9/11.
However, the absence of a jet strike wasn''t enough to prevent WTC 7 from crumbling into its own footprint within 7 seconds later that fateful afternoon.
Hundreds of buildings worldwide suffered major fires that gutted the entire facade of their structure before 9/11 and did not collapse, but since the twin towers behaved differently, rather than consider an alternative explanation for the collapse of the towers, experts simply decided to reverse the fundamental precepts of all known physics to make it easier for everyone to understand.
Since that time, it has been commonly accepted that limited fires in tall buildings are 99% certain to cause an almost instantaneous collapse.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/august2007/190807Building.htm
Atlanta
http://www.atlanta91
1truth.org/
http://9-11.meetup.com/299/
?gj=sj5
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Chica
go
http://9-11.meetup.com/cities/us/il/
chicago/ ?
Indiana
South Bend
http://9-11.meetup.com/291/
Indiana
http://www.myspace.com/smit
hagentsmith
Iowa
Kansas/Missouri
Kansas City
http://www.911truthgroups.org/KC
Kentucky
Louisville
http://www.myspace.com/911truthlouisvi
lle
Louisiana
Baton Rouge
http://9-11.meetup.com/267/?gj=sj
4
Maine
Brunswick
http://9-11.meet
up.com/cities/us/me/brunswick/
Maryland
Rockville
http://9-11.meetup.com/26
9/?gj=sj13
http://9-11.meetup.com/256/?gj=sj13
Baltimore
http://9-11.meetup.com/26
2/?gj=sj13
Washington DC
http://dc911truth.org/
Massachuss
etts
http://NE911Truth.org/
Central Mass
http://www.centralmass911truth.org
/
Atlanta
http://www.atlanta91
1truth.org/
http://9-11.meetup.com/299/
?gj=sj5
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Chica
go
http://9-11.meetup.com/cities/us/il/
chicago/ ?
Indiana
South Bend
http://9-11.meetup.com/291/
Indiana
http://www.myspace.com/smit
hagentsmith
Iowa
Kansas/Missouri
Kansas City
http://www.911truthgroups.org/KC
Kentucky
Louisville
http://www.myspace.com/911truthlouisvi
lle
Louisiana
Baton Rouge
http://9-11.meetup.com/267/?gj=sj
4
Maine
Brunswick
http://9-11.meet
up.com/cities/us/me/brunswick/
Maryland
Rockville
http://9-11.meetup.com/26
9/?gj=sj13
http://9-11.meetup.com/256/?gj=sj13
Baltimore
http://9-11.meetup.com/26
2/?gj=sj13
Washington DC
http://dc911truth.org/
Massachuss
etts
http://NE911Truth.org/
Central Mass
http://www.centralmass911truth.org
/
Atlanta
http://www.atlanta91
1truth.org/
http://9-11.meetup.com/299/
?gj=sj5
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Chica
go
http://9-11.meetup.com/cities/us/il/
chicago/ ?
Indiana
South Bend
http://9-11.meetup.com/291/
Indiana
http://www.myspace.com/smit
hagentsmith
Iowa
Kansas/Missouri
Kansas City
http://www.911truthgroups.org/KC
Kentucky
Louisville
http://www.myspace.com/911truthlouisvi
lle
Louisiana
Baton Rouge
http://9-11.meetup.com/267/?gj=sj
4
Maine
Brunswick
http://9-11.meet
up.com/cities/us/me/brunswick/
Maryland
Rockville
http://9-11.meetup.com/26
9/?gj=sj13
http://9-11.meetup.com/256/?gj=sj13
Baltimore
http://9-11.meetup.com/26
2/?gj=sj13
Washington DC
http://dc911truth.org/
Massachuss
etts
http://NE911Truth.org/
Central Mass
http://www.centralmass911truth.org
/
Atlanta
http://www.atlanta91
1truth.org/
http://9-11.meetup.com/299/
?gj=sj5
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Chica
go
http://9-11.meetup.com/cities/us/il/
chicago/ ?
Indiana
South Bend
http://9-11.meetup.com/291/
Indiana
http://www.myspace.com/smit
hagentsmith
Iowa
Kansas/Missouri
Kansas City
http://www.911truthgroups.org/KC
Kentucky
Louisville
http://www.myspace.com/911truthlouisvi
lle
Louisiana
Baton Rouge
http://9-11.meetup.com/267/?gj=sj
4
Maine
Brunswick
http://9-11.meet
up.com/cities/us/me/brunswick/
Maryland
Rockville
http://9-11.meetup.com/26
9/?gj=sj13
http://9-11.meetup.com/256/?gj=sj13
Baltimore
http://9-11.meetup.com/26
2/?gj=sj13
Washington DC
http://dc911truth.org/
Massachuss
etts
http://NE911Truth.org/
Central Mass
http://www.centralmass911truth.org
/
Atlanta
http://www.atlanta91
1truth.org/
http://9-11.meetup.com/299/
?gj=sj5
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Chica
go
http://9-11.meetup.com/cities/us/il/
chicago/ ?
Indiana
South Bend
http://9-11.meetup.com/291/
Indiana
http://www.myspace.com/smit
hagentsmith
Iowa
Kansas/Missouri
Kansas City
http://www.911truthgroups.org/KC
Kentucky
Louisville
http://www.myspace.com/911truthlouisvi
lle
Louisiana
Baton Rouge
http://9-11.meetup.com/267/?gj=sj
4
Maine
Brunswick
http://9-11.meet
up.com/cities/us/me/brunswick/
Maryland
Rockville
http://9-11.meetup.com/26
9/?gj=sj13
http://9-11.meetup.com/256/?gj=sj13
Baltimore
http://9-11.meetup.com/26
2/?gj=sj13
Washington DC
http://dc911truth.org/
Massachuss
etts
http://NE911Truth.org/
Central Mass
http://www.centralmass911truth.org
/