A four-alarm fire in the abandoned Deustche Bank skyscraper sent a plume of gray smoke trailing above ground zero Saturday afternoon as firetrucks and police cars raced through lower Manhattan to reach a building already decimated by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.This building has been a thorn in the side of developers ever since it was badly damaged by the collapsing WTC complex on 9/11. The facade was devastated by the collapsing WTC Twin Towers and its structural integrity was badly compromised. Even worse, it was heavily contaminated by debris and it was determined that the building would need to be deconstructed. Hundreds of human remains have been discovered at the site.
The tower, left vacant since 9/11 turned it into a toxic nightmare, had flames on multiple floors, according to the Fire Department. Construction crews had already dismantled 14 of the building's 40 stories, reaching the 26th floor on Tuesday.
The cause of the fire was unknown, but smoke pouring from the burning building was visible from midtown Manhattan and the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. NYU Downtown Hospital reported its emergency room was treating at least one patient brought in from the blaze.
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.
The building at 130 Liberty St. has become a constant headache for redevelopers in the nearly six years since the attacks. The 1.4 million square foot office tower stood as a downtown Manhattan eyesore, contaminated with toxic dust and debris after the World Trade Center's south tower collapsed into it.
My previous coverage of the Deutsche Bank building deconstruction can be found here only yesterday.
Two firefighters are seriously injured fighting the fire, which is involving the scaffolding and plywood that has replaced windows in the floors. West Street and Church street are being closed to traffic.
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