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Two die in blaze at building near ground zero

By TIMES WIRES
Published August 19, 2007

NEW YORK

A seven-alarm fire ripped through an abandoned skyscraper next to ground zero in Lower Manhattan on Saturday, killing two firefighters who were responding to the blaze. Officers at the scene were preventing nearby residents from returning to their homes, telling them that authorities were concerned the former Deutsche Bank office building, vacant since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, could fall. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that fear turned out to be unfounded. The plume of gray smoke that trailed above the site of the World Trade Center raised concerns that toxic substances in the building could be spreading. Bloomberg sought to reassure residents that the chemicals in the building likely did not present a significant health risk, saying air-quality tests so far showed no danger. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

ASHEVILLE, N.C.

Billy Graham is hospitalized

Evangelist Billy Graham was in fair condition Saturday and resting comfortably in a hospital near his home after he was admitted for evaluation and treatment of an intestinal bleed, hospital officials said. Graham, 88, was fully alert, and his doctors said his condition did not appear to be life-threatening, said his spokesman, Larry Ross. He said the ailing preacher could be released in a couple of days.

NEWARK, N.J.

2 more suspects held in slayings

A 24-year-old man and his teenage half brother were arrested Saturday in the Aug. 4 killings of three friends in Newark, police Director Garry McCarthy said. Rodolfo Godinez, 24, and his half brother, Alexander Alfaro, 16, were found in apartments in Maryland and Virginia, according to authorities. With the latest arrests, five people are being held, including Jose Lachira Carranza, 28, and two 15-year-old boys. Another teenage boy is being sought, the authorities said.

Elsewhere

Cheyenne, Wyo.: A resort featuring a century-old hunting lodge built by Buffalo Bill Cody outside Yellowstone National Park reopened as rain dampened the threat from a nearby wildfire.

Las Vegas: The federal government has dismissed slavery charges against three men accused of detaining Chinese acrobats and forcing them to perform.

[Last modified August 19, 2007, 00:25:07]