2 Die in Fire at Ground Zero

Two firefighters died in a blaze that broke out this afternoon in a skyscraper being demolished at the edge of ground zero in Lower Manhattan. The fire broke out in the partially dismantled Deutsche Bank building, which had been vacant since 9/11, condemned because health officials ruled that it was too contaminated with toxic dust and debris to be renovated.

One of the firefighters died of cardiac arrest; the cause of death of the other was not reported. Fourteen of the building's 40 stories had been torn down; the fire was said to have started around the 14th floor. The acrid smoke that hung over ground zero after the fire once again raised fears of toxic effects on residents in the area. (More Ground Zero stories.)