Heads Up At Former Deutsche Building

The demolition of the former Deutsche Bank building next to Ground Zero has been halted after officials are still unable to determine how a several-foot-long section of pipe fell from the deconstruction site and crashed through the roof of a neighborhing firehouse, injuring two firefighters. The incident occurred yesterday morning and investigators are still wondering how a 15-foot section of steam pipe from the irreperably damaged office tower fell through the roof of the firehouse, and two men inside suffered minor injuries. It does seem puzzling, since the 40-story office tower's been enshrouded in black netting since shortly after the 9/11 attacks.

“The Buildings Department will review the contractor’s means and methods to ensure that public safety is upheld,” said Kate Lindquist, a spokeswoman for the department, which issued a stop-work order yesterday and cited a subcontractor at the site, the John Galt Corporation, for failure to “safeguard the public and property.” She said the company could be fined up to $5,000.

It's unclear how long the demolition will be delayed, but a spokesperson for the LMDC didn't think it would seriously affect project deadlines. The Deutsche Bank building's plan for dismantling was approved in September 2006. The LMDC posted an animation of the property's proposed detoxification in 2005. JP Morgan Chase plans to build a 50 story replacement once the building's down, after extracting financial concessions from the city. We got some video of anti-war images projected on the building's enshrouded facade back in March.

(Deutsche Bank Building, by plemeljr at flickr)