This afternoon a fire broke out at 130 Liberty Street, the former Deutsche Bank building at the World Trade Center site. The fire is now under control.
Tragically, two of New York's bravest lost their lives in that battle and many more were injured. Tonight our thoughts and prayers are with these two courageous men, Robert Beddia, 54, of Engine Company 24, Joseph Graffagnino, 33, of Ladder Company 5, their families and their injured colleagues.
The fire's cause is yet unknown. My office has directed all relevant state agencies to work with the city to determine the cause and to take all necessary precautions.
The dozen air monitors in and around the building remained operational during the fire and continue to remain operational. We will be working through the night to analyze the data and release the information as soon as it’s available.
