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.

The 1.4-million square foot office tower was contaminated with toxic dust and debris after the World Trade Center's south tower collapsed into it. Bloomberg said the chemicals in the building did not present a significant health risk.

Efforts to dismantle it were halted by a labor dispute last year, along with the ongoing search for the remains of attack victims.

City officials announced in June they had completed recovery efforts at the structure. More than 700 human remains were found at the site.

Errol Cockfield, a spokesman for the Empire State Development Corp., which is overseeing redevelopment at ground zero, said authorities were investigating whether the smoke at the scene could pose any environmental danger.