As testimony continued in early May in the ongoing manslaughter trial of three construction managers linked to the fatal August 18, 2007, fire at a former high-rise site near Ground Zero, firefighters focused on the tension and frustration that characterized the day. Credit: District Attorney's office Defense attorneys say their clients are being scapegoated for a disaster that involved many hazards and revealed myriad regulatory failures. Related Links: Firefighter Testimony in Manhattan Building Fire Trial Raises Questions Construction witnesses discussed the dismantled standpipe in the Deutsche Bank building’s basement that prosecutors contend prevented water from reaching the fire’s 17th floor

On May 2, as the manslaughter trial of three construction firm managers in the fatal Ground Zero building fire entered its fifth week, 28 prosecution witnesses had been called and 78 more were set to testify. Citing the potential for redundant and irrelevant testimony and noting that jurors appeared fatigued, New York State Supreme Court Judge Rena K. Uviller ordered the prosecution to cut its witness list and rest its case by May 31. New York County District Attorney's Office Firefighters exited fatal 2007 building blaze using scaffolding when access by interior stairwells was blocked. The Aug. 18, 2007, fire

As the first month of testimony ended April 29, New York Fire Dept. witnesses in the manslaughter trial of three construction managers in the 2007 Deutsche Bank fire in Manhattan painstakingly narrated the role of site conditions, particularly a dismantled standpipe, in the disaster that killed firefighters Robert Beddia and Joseph P. Graffagnino. Credit: District Attorney's office Firefighters respond to fatal blaze at Deutsche Bank in August 2007. Credit: District Attorney's office Related Links: NYC Report & Recommendations The slow pace of testimony so far in the trial, which opened April 4, caused State Supreme Court Judge Rena K. Uviller

Testimony April 21 and 25 in the manslaughter trial of three construction supervisors related to the fatal 2007 fire at the former Deutsche Bank building site in lower Manhattan focused on the removal several months before of hangers supporting a basement standpipe—and the subsequent dismantling of a section of the pipe itself during asbestos abatement. Prosecutors contend that the missing pipe made it impossible to deliver adequate water to fight the fire in an abatement containment area of the building. Abatement of the building, damaged during the World Trade Center attack on Sept. 11, 2001, was ongoing prior to demolition.