Posted on 08/19/2007 7:31:59 AM PDT by jeepgal
NEW YORK - Mayor Michael Bloomberg says preliminary air quality tests showed no danger Sunday morning in the area around the Deutsche Bank building, which burned for almost seven hours Saturday. The seven-alarm blaze brought back all too painful memories for the New York City Fire Department as the burning building, abandoned after 9/11, claimed two more lives. Robert Beddia, 54, had been on the job 23 years and was assigned to Engine 24. Joseph Graffagnino, 33, joined the FDNY eight years ago and was assigned to Ladder 5. "There were two men who were dedicated to helping this city and tonight we grieve for both of them and their families," Bloomberg said Saturday. Bloomberg said the deadly fire may have been fueled by wooden boxes and supplies being used to dismantle the 40-story skyscraper, although the cause is under investigation. Investigators said Beddia and Graffagnino had air masks, but the maze-like conditions on the burning floor made it difficult to escape and they ran out of air. News Channel 4 has learned a broken standpipe, an emergency device to which firefighters can attach hoses may have played a role in the tragedy. The Deutsche Bank has had a troubled history since the 9/11 attacks. The building has been the subject of court battles over who would pay to take it down. There have also been work stoppages and accidents. It has been cited several times by environmental regulators. And hundreds of body parts of World Trade Center victims have been found inside the building. Five or six other firefighters were taken to a hospital after battling Saturday's blaze, but were expected to be released, Bloomberg said. No civilians were hurt.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
That building is plastered with plywood while they try to appease every single "ministry" under the sun with a surgical dismantling.
A pipe came flying off that building a couple of months ago and crashed through the roof of the fire station across the street. Fortunately no one was injured.
The longer they jerk around with this thing, the more damage it does. It could have been taken down in single stroke years ago, but no, not in NYC.
The seven-alarm blaze brought back all too painful memories for the New York City Fire Department
I was under the impression that five-alarm is as high as it goes. What is a seven alarm blaze?
I was wondering why it was not taken down with an implosion? Not to be flippant, but they certainly have the experience in clearing up rubble!
In a small town with only five fire stations they wouldn't go any farther than five alarms.
because ground zero is “sacred ground,” which is something of a sexual fantasy to politicians, which, in NYC, are outnumbered only by unemployed and washed-out actresses.
So the number of alarms refers to how many stations are involved? I was thinking that the “fifth alarm” was involving stations outside the municipality.
Wherever they are, and some stations outside the town are close enough to respond, additional alarms, which we don’t actually hear anymore, will call them in. Each town or municipality will have its own call-in system. Fairbanks, for example, might call in North Pole, and sometimes does, but probably never call in Anchorage since it is an eight hour drive unless the disaster is so huge it would still be unresolved the next day. For wildfires such as a couple years ago that burned millions of acres north of Fairbanks, they called in firefighters from the Lower 48, which would be beyond the old numbered alarm system.
I don’t think they do implosions in crowded urban areas. Even though it looks like implosions are nice clean ways to take down buildings, they still send out debris for blocks. It can work if there is nothing else around (See the Kingdome, which was surronded by parking lots).
I just saw on the news yesterday, they brought down a 20-story building that was adjacent to a much taller building.. but i dont remember what city it was in.
Thanks for the explanation!
Two Minutes of Silence is still one of my favorite renderings of remembrance of that day. The sales of this painting are still supporting Fire and Police stations around the country.
Take a quick minute to look at all of his work.
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