NEW YORK (AP) — Acknowledging that the city failed to protect two firefighters who died trying to stop a blaze in an abandoned ground zero building, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a shakeup among Lower Manhattan fire officials on Monday and said the fallout may not end there.
Officials also said Monday that the fire appeared to have been started by a lit cigarette, likely from workers who were demolishing the former Deutsche Bank tower. The building had become a toxic quagmire due to damage sustained six years ago during the World Trade Center attack.
Bloomberg said the fire department failed to conduct the required regular inspections at the tower as workers dismantled the former 41-story building floor by floor.
Three fire officials were relieved of their commands and sent to work at headquarters — reassignments that Bloomberg warned could be just the beginning of the city's response.