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Aug 22, 2007 5:55 am US/Eastern
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Criminal Charges Weighed In Fatal Ground Zero Fire
Bloomberg Defends Decision To Send Firefighters Into Blaze
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
The demand for answers in the deadly Deutsche Bank building fire continues to grow as two separated investigations into the blaze have been launched -- one by Manhattan's District Attorney Robert Morganthau, and the other by the State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.
With two firefighters dead and questions mounting, Morganthau is now weighing criminally negligent charges, though he did not say who was under investigation -- just that his rackets bureau has already been speaking with fire marshals about their findings.
Just a few hours earlier, Mayor Michael Bloomberg cast doubt on the need for such a probe, defending the FDNY's decision to send firefighters into the blaze, despite the deaths of firefighters Joseph Graffagnino and Robert Beddia.
"At this point there's no reason for anybody to think in terms of criminal charges or anything else," Bloomberg said.
But with two firefighters dead at a site supervised by a half dozen government agencies, the recriminations were mounting. A community board leader pointed to the subcontractor on the site. The John Galt Company was responsible for maintaining the standpipe at the building, which suffered a catastrophic failure the day of the fire.
"This is a concern we had raised several years ago and it's very disconcerting to now see that some of these violations may have been at root here," said Julie Menin, who heads Community Board #1.
The finger of blame didn't stop there. The firefighters union called for Cuomo to step in.
"We're asking the attorney general to do this. We believe he's qualified, he can handle a large scale investigation, and we believe he's the right person to step forward now and clear the air," said Steve Cassidy, President of the Uniformed Firefighters Association.
Local councilman Alan Gerson blames former governor George Pataki's administration for ignoring repeated questions fire safety at the building. "The answer at the time, under the previous administration was 'trust us' essentially," Gerson said.
As the blame game intensified, a slew of questions remain unanswered. Among them:
• Did the FDNY raise a red flag about fire safety in the weeks and months before the tragedy?
• Why were the firefighters sent into the building at all? Mayor Bloomberg defended the department's decision.
• And, did the contractors cut corners on fire safety?
If Morganthau decides that corners were indeed cut, he could level charges of criminally-negligent homicide.
A TEARFUL TRIBUTEMeanwhile, with rain pouring down on the city Tuesday, firefighters of Ladder 5 and Engine 24 lined up across the street and watched as Graffagnino's family was escorted inside a local funeral home. More family and friends soon followed, all coming to say a final farewell to the 33-year-old-father of two.
"Very nice, good people, nice family," said Graffagnino family friend Gladys Sanfeliz. "It's too bad this tragedy happened to people like that."
The tragic series of events happened Saturday when Graffagnino and Beddia ran out of oxygen while battling the blaze. They died from cardiac arrest caused by smoke inhalation.
Friends attending Tuesday's wake held for them are still having a difficult time understanding why they were even inside the building that was being demolished.
"To me it seems like negligence, because if that building was empty in there, why do they have to send these poor people to stop a fire that has no people in there?" asked Sanfeliz.
At Beddia's home, a makeshift memorial on his family's front steps continues to grow. Neighbors are leaving flowers, hats, toys, and messages for a man who was always willing to lend a helping hand.
"He was good to all of us. A real gentleman," said Viola Barchitta, one of Beddia's neighbors. "A real gentleman, a good guy."
The wake for Beddia will be held at the Harmon Funeral Home on Staten Island on Wednesday and Thursday between 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. His funeral will be at St. Patrick's Cathedral in midtown Manhattan on Friday at 9:45 a.m.
The wake for Graffagnino was held Tuesday morning and was scheduled to resume from 7 to 10 on Tuesday night. It will continue Wednesday at the Torregrossa & Sons Funeral Home in Brooklyn from 2 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, and again Wednesday night from 7 to 10. His funeral will be held at St. Ephrem's Church in Brooklyn on Thursday at 10 a.m.
CBS 2's Deborah Garcia and Andrew Kirtzman contributed to this report.
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