Another WTC-Area Building Searched

The city reached an agreement with Deutsche Bank on Friday to give recovery workers immediate access to a badly damaged building that could contain the last human remains from the World Trade Center attack.

Firefighters began searching the building, located across the street from where the south tower stood, on Friday night.

Last week, the remains of about a dozen people were found in two other buildings near ground zero that were damaged in the Sept. 11 attacks. City officials hope to find remains in the 40-story Deutsche Bank building at 130 Liberty Street.

"We're always hopeful to find as many remains of our loved ones as we can," said John Obermatt, head of the Office of Emergency Management. "By no means is it over at all."

Firefighters wearing respirators and protective suits will oversee the cleanup, conducted by subcontractors of the Department of Design and Construction, said Fire Department spokesman Paul Iannizzoto. The search should take three weeks to complete, he said.

"It's just like we were doing in the pit" at ground zero, Iannizzoto said. "If they see something they will call EMS to come in and remove any remains."

The debris will be taken to the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island to be sifted.

Deutsche Bank and city officials said they were concerned about how to safely remove debris from the company's building. Both sides have said they expected to find mold, asbestos and other contaminants in the building.

"What we were able to do was work with the city to come up with an environmentally safe protocol to remove the debris," Deutsche Bank spokeswoman Rohini Pragasam said Friday.

Falling debris from the attack tore a gash in the facade of the 40-story building, allowing in water that contributed to the growth of mold. Large parts of the trade center are still stuck inside the building, Obermatt said.

City officials said the building remains structurally sound. Obermatt said, "We would absolutely not send anybody in if the building wasn't safe."