FDNY To Catch Lots Of Heat In Deutsche Fire Report

CBS 2

Families Of Fallen Firefighters Graffignino, Beddia Reflect On 1-Year Anniversary Of Tragic Blaze

Marcia Kramer Reporting

NEW YORK (CBS) - It was a fire that forever changed the lives of two families.

An internal investigation by the FDNY of the Deutsche Bank fire will spell new heartache for the families of the two firefighters who died a year ago Monday.

This as the Manhattan district attorney is wrapping up an investigation that is expected to lead to criminal charges.

Linda Graffignino was in tears Monday at a ceremony marking the one-year anniversary of the fire and the death of her husband, Joseph. The tears are certain to continue in the days ahead.

"We'll be issuing a report after we do after every fatality and that will describe in great detail what happened," FDNY Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said.

The report, expected to be hundreds of pages, will give graphic specifics of exactly how Graffignino and Firefighter Robert Beddia died. Sources tell CBS 2 HD it will show that the two men ignored alarms that their air supply was running out. And the FDNY, which failed to adequately inspect the building, is expected to shoulder some of the blame.

"People should be held accountable for their actions and if their actions caused death they should be tried for murder," Joseph Graffignino Sr. said.

Graffignino Sr. is hoping that the Manhattan district attorney will bring criminal charges in the case, and include actions by the contractors and negligence by city and state agencies. The Buildings Department, for example, failed to insure that a vital standpipe to bring water to the fire, was working.

"Yeah, that was kind of surprising. They should have found that out a long time ago," Graffignino Sr. said.

After pouring over some 300 million pages of documents, the grand jury is reportedly set to start considering the criminal charges sometime next month, everything from criminally negligent homicide, racketeering and blowing off safety regulations.

"In my heart I don't think anybody deliberately did anything to make that building less safe," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. "It's a great tragedy, but the real issue is what can we do for the future because we can't undo the past."

The Beddia and Graffignino families are expected to be briefed by the FDNY report shortly.

Meanwhile, Fire Union President Steve Cassidy on Monday called on the FDNY to issue periodic water alerts at fire scenes so that the men fighting the fire will know whether their hoses are operational.










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