Deutsche Bank Building Firefighters Honored

Two firefighters killed fighting a blaze at the Deutsche Bank building in Lower Manhattan will be memorialized today as a plaque in their honor is placed at a firehouse in the West Village.

Lieutenant Joseph Graffagnino was 35 when he was trapped on the 14th floor of the burning 130 Liberty Street along with Firefighter Robert Beddia, who was 53. The two suffered smoke inhalation leading to fatal cardiac arrest. Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau is reportedly considering charging the city's Buildings Department with negligence that may have contributed to the fatal fire.

Mayor Bloomberg is expected to speak at the dedication ceremony today at the Ladder 5/Engine 24 firehouse on West Houston Street at Avenue of the Americas, where Graffagnino and Beddia worked.