Skyscraper Fire Near Ground Zero

The Deutsch Bank building across the street from ground zero caught fire yesterday:

A bank building overlooking New York's Ground Zero site caught fire Saturday, sending black smoke billowing across the skyline where the Twin Towers once stood.

The blaze occurred when scaffolding caught fire on the former Deutsche Bank building, fire battalion chief Wes Schelling told AFP at the scene.

Firefighters put out the blaze but smoke continued to rise for several hours, appearing thickest around the 15th floor of the 40-story building.

The fire service could not confirm whether the blaze had caused any injuries.

The skyscraper was under construction after being pulled down following the extremist attacks of September 11, 2001, Schelling said.

Our guide pointed that building out when I visited Ground Zero in June. It's in the process of being torn down after suffering unreparable damage when the South Tower fell on 9/11. Instead of bringing it down by implosion as they would a more isolated structure, they have to dissemble the building floor by floor and it was during that process the fire started.