As testimony continued in early May in the ongoing manslaughter trial of three construction managers linked to the fatal August 18, 2007, fire at a former high-rise site near Ground Zero, firefighters focused on the tension and frustration that characterized the day.
Construction witnesses discussed the dismantled standpipe in the Deutsche Bank building’s basement that prosecutors contend prevented water from reaching the fire’s 17th floor location and led directly to the deaths of firefighters Robert Beddia and Joseph P. Graffagnino.