Standpipe 'Irrelevant' in Deutsche Bank Fire, Lawyer Says

Those assertions were in sharp contrast with the opening statement on Monday by a prosecutor for the Manhattan district attorney's office, Brian J. Fields, who said the defendants had cut corners and taken chances with safety in an attempt to maximize profits at the site. Workers at the building were simultaneously removing asbestos and deconstructing the 41 stories floor by floor until a cigarette sparked a fire on the 17th floor that blazed for more than an hour on Aug. 18, 2007. The two firefighters, Robert Beddia, 53, and Joseph P. Graffagnino, 33, died on the 14th floor.