A fire broke out Saturday afternoon at a skyscraper that formerly hosted the Deutsche Bank offices in New York City, two firefighters being killed while trying to contain the blaze, authorities informed.

The building that was surrounded by scaffolding is located in Lower Manhattan, adjacent to Ground Zero where the World Trade Center Twin Towers collapsed six years ago after being struck by suicide attacks.

The former bank was also damaged by the attacks and experts decided it should be demolished. Fire broke out in the afternoon at one of the last storeys, grey smoke billowing from the building as the terrifying images of 9/11 flashed before the eyes of witnesses once more.

Firefighters had a hard mission in containing the blaze due to the structure’s height and treacherous scaffolding covering it. Hundreds of firemen battled with the flames for hours until the fire was put out, but with the price of two lives.

The two firefighters were trapped by the savage flames and intoxicated with smoke, medics at a nearby hospital being unable to resuscitate them.

According to the local media, several storeys were engulfed by flames that broke out at the 20th level for still unknown reasons. Speculations indicated that a possible electrical short-circuit could have caused the fire, investigators being expected to reveal the real cause.

Buildings adjacent to the Twin Towers suffered severe damage after being struck by falling debris, several collapsing in the past years, while others were scheduled to be demolished.