Lots of Smoke At WTC 1 But No Fire?

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Fire officials said a civilian called the department just before 7:45 a.m. to report smoke billowing from an upper floor of the recently completed tower






Hours after 100 firefighters responded to what the FDNY called an equipment fire likely sparked by welding on the 88th floor of 1 World Trade Center, the fire department says there was no fire at all.

The FDNY issued its findings Wednesday afternoon following conflicting reports from the department, which had been at the scene, and the Port Authority about whether or not there had been a fire.

Fire officials said a civilian called the department just before 7:45 a.m. to report smoke billowing from an upper floor of the recently completed tower. As a precaution, the FDNY issued a call for all hands on deck and 100 firefighters responded, FDNY Battalion Chief Kevin Brennan said.

The FDNY said responding firefighters encountered workers welding, which was causing the smoke visible from outside the building. Brennan said earlier that welding equipment on the 88th floor had caught fire, though it appears the workers were using it for welding purposes when firefighters showed up.

The Port Authority had previously said there was no fire at 1 WTC and called the situation a "false alarm." The FDNY disputes that terminology, saying it associates the phrase with malicious intent.

Authorities shut down some streets, including Vesey Street and the area west of Greenwich Street, to assist the investigation. All street closures had been lifted by 9:30 a.m.

Last week, a steel beam signed by President Barack Obama was lifted into place at the top of the 104-story skyscraper that's being built to replace the twin towers destroyed in the Sept. 11 attacks.

It's expected to be completed in 2014.