On August 18, 2007, a fire sparked by a worker’s cigarette set the abandoned Deutsche Bank building alight, trapping and killing two FDNY firefighters, Robert Beddia and Joseph Graffagnino. The blaze trapped and injured more than 100 others, reports WABC’s Jim Hoffer.
Firefighters on high floors waited for water, not knowing that the standpipe had been cut during the deconstruction by Bovis Lend Lease. Criminal prosecution against Bovis was planned, but the district attorney gave Bovis immunity from prosecution for acknowledging responsibility.
A number of firefighters injured on that day are fighting in court for justice. Several are now waiting to see if an appeals court will uphold a lower court’s decision and allow their civil case against Bovis to go forward.
