The Manhattan district attorney, Robert M. Morgenthau, announced manslaughter charges on Monday
against three construction supervisors and a subcontractor, saying their gross
negligence in dismantling the former Deutsche
Bank building played a critical role in the deaths of two firefighters
who responded to a smoky blaze there in 2007.
The
building’s sprinkler system had been dismantled and fire exits were sealed off
as part of the demolition and asbestos abatement. It was later learned that a
standpipe, designed to carry water to the building’s upper floors during a
fire, had also been dismantled and that cheap, non-fire-retardant plywood had
been used in the deconstruction.
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