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Lack of Water Hindered NYC Firefighters

By SARA KUGLER,
AP
Posted: 2007-08-19 22:27:24
Filed Under: Nation News
NEW YORK (Aug. 19) - Fighting a fire in a high-rise office building next the World Trade Center site was complicated by a lack of water and little easy access in the tower that has stood abandoned since the Sept. 11 terror attack.

Two firefighters died battling the blaze that started Saturday in the former Deutsche Bank building, which was damaged by falling wreckage from the collapsing trade center towers and contaminated by toxic dust and human remains.

Investigators did not believe the fire's cause was electrical, and said demolition crews working Saturday had not been using torches.

Fire marshals could not enter the building until Sunday because small pockets of fire were still burning, but they had been questioning witnesses, including an elevator operator who first reported the blaze.

Investigators also were interested in graffiti inside a work shed that made reference to a burning building, but the blaze had not been deemed suspicious, fire department spokesman Frank Gribbon said.

The hundreds of emergency workers sent to the building encountered immediate difficulties.

The blaze began about a dozen floors up and burned on multiple floors, but because the building has been largely gutted and is being dismantled, the only ways up to those floors were a construction elevator on the outside of the building and stairs inside.

In addition, the building's water supply system known as a standpipe did not work, forcing firefighters to use ropes to pull hoses to the upper floors.

"The standpipe was not operating. We don't know why yet," fire department spokesman Frank Gribbon said Sunday.

City officials said the building's structure was secure and in no danger of falling.

A spokeswoman for the main contractor, Bovis Lend Lease, declined to comment on the standpipe. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for inspecting it.

Officials said air-quality tests in the neighborhood were negative for asbestos and other contaminants after the fire.

Besides the water failure, authorities said some of the materials being used to prevent toxic materials from escaping from the structure may have worsened the situation. More than 10 floors of the skyscraper had been sealed off with polyurethane sheets to contain asbestos, lead and other materials that came from the trade center collapse.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer said the protective materials were there because of federal Environmental Protection Agency requirements, but a spokeswoman for the agency said it was a state labor requirement.

"It is standard operating procedure to put up these kinds of barriers when you're doing an asbestos abatement job," EPA spokeswoman Bonnie Bellow said.

There were also large quantities of plywood and other combustible materials in the building, and firefighters had to navigate a maze of debris, authorities said.

The once 40-story building has been reduced to 26 stories as crews take apart its steel skeleton by about one story per week. The demolition had been expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The firefighters who died, Robert Beddia, 53, and Joseph Graffagnino, 33, were trapped on the 14th floor and inhaled a great deal of smoke, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. More than 50 other firefighters suffered minor injuries, the fire department said.

The collapse of the twin Trade Center towers across the street killed 343 firefighters. Eleven of them came from the same firehouse where Beddia and Graffagnino were based.

Associated Press Writer Amy Westfeldt contributed to this story.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2007-08-18 21:40:45
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1460 comments

obyrnr 02:28:25 PM Aug 21 2007

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NYC is so corrupt with Unions, kickbacks, handouts and payoffs it's amazing anything gets done.

Sh042067 08:30:00 AM Aug 21 2007

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just like the world trade center it looks like getting water to fight fires on high rises is a problem , maybe they should put water tanks on the top floor and use gravity to help fight these fires? just a suggestion?

honeyspcg 12:28:00 AM Aug 21 2007

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Why don't we blame Hillary for this, after all, it is in her state? Seems you libs like to blame Bush for everything. How's it feel? They lost 2 more of NY's finest heroes.

moondogprod1 11:21:00 PM Aug 20 2007

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When did all of the hicks move to New York? No water to use on the fire?
Wow, we're in sad shape here folks. All of the money, and jobs go to other countries, including megatons of aid, and no water? Did we send the water to Mexico, or what?

airgeetar 07:53:47 PM Aug 20 2007

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Why is always about politics? Just maybe, the right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing. It's amazing that in the year 2007 we seem to be still learning. Will we ever get it?

XoPrincessJ9oX 03:28:39 PM Aug 20 2007

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First of all what does rudy have to do with this story, second of all everyone loves NY because it is the best place on earth

johnl1034 11:40:00 AM Aug 20 2007

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maybe rudy could have pissed on it...................just ask him, he can do anything...but dont ask his family

dzoeblu1 11:23:00 AM Aug 20 2007

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LACK OF WATER ?? THAT IS A CROCK OF SH IT. THEM BUILDINGS ARE VERY CLOSE TO THE FRIGGIN HUDSON RIVER - THEY COULD HAVE PUMPED WATER FROM THE DAMN THING

Mandmjosef 11:23:00 AM Aug 20 2007

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i too, wouldn't be surprised if it had been arson (set fire). i have no clue why anyone loves NY

hottair47 11:01:29 AM Aug 20 2007

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They know all about the barriers,but not the stand pipe,go figure.Nobody will admit blame,pass the buck politics.Just like the bridge deal,NO ELECTED OFFICIAL WILL TAKE THE BLAME,but,they are right on top of and ready to take tax payer money to fix it.THEY CAN'T LIVE WITH US OR WITHOUT US.

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