VIDEO: Because it was on the roof of a skyscraper under construction, a floor-wide fire in Lower Manhattan Wednesday was visible for miles.
Hard work by nearly 80 firefighters and EMTs got the blaze under control, but its location — just steps away from the World Trade Center site — left many of the thousands of people in the Financial District concerned that this wasn’t just any fire.
“Right to 9/11, another episode,” said John Morales, a security guard at the building across the street, about where his mind went as soon as he saw the flames.
“[It’s] unfortunate,” he continued, “[but] as a New Yorker, that’s what we expect.”
Images of the blaze were captivating, in the worst way. On top of the 72-story building, apparently from the cone of a utility unit, flames and smoke billowed up to the sky.