NEW YORK — The city ordered fire inspectors to examine hundreds of buildings under construction or demolition after an investigation found numerous planning and safety failures at an abandoned ground zero skyscraper where two firefighters died.
Three senior fire officials said to be responsible for lapses at the former Deutsche Bank tower were also reassigned, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned Monday that more action could follow.
Officials said the fire appeared to have been started by a cigarette, likely from workers who were dismantling the skyscraper and cleaning it of toxic debris floor by floor. The building, which once stood 41 stories, was heavily damaged in the Sept. 11 attacks.
When workers began taking it down earlier this year, the fire department failed to conduct the required regular inspections at the tower, Bloomberg said.........
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