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Dangling workers rescued from World Trade Center

Source: AP | November 13, 2014, Thursday | Online Edition

TWO window washers trapped on a dangling scaffold nearly 70 stories up the new 1 World Trade Center tower were rescued Wednesday by firefighters who sawed through a window to reach them.

The dramatic rescue, coming a little more than a week after the nation's tallest building officially opened, was followed by throngs of New Yorkers on the ground and many more around the world watching on live TV.

The window washers, Juan Lizama and Juan Lopez, were working on the Manhattan building's south side early in the afternoon when one of the platform's four cables abruptly developed slack, Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. The open-topped platform tilted sharply and swayed slightly in the wind between the 68th and 69th floors, he said.

About 100 firefighters rushed to the skyscraper, some of them lowering ropes from the roof so the workers could secure themselves and a two-way radio for them to communicate, Nigro said. The workers also were harnessed to the platform.

Firefighters first used diamond cutters to saw through part of a two-layered glass window on the 68th floor. They shattered the thick glass in place, then carefully pulled the broken pieces into the building.

Firefighters also began inching another scaffold down the building as a backup rescue plan, but they were able to bring the workers to safety through the window hole.

Mayor Bill de Blasio praised rescuers for "great coordination."

Firefighters generally seek to cut out windows to make such rescues, but Nigro noted the trade center's thick glass: a double-paned inner layer and an outer pane.

Lizama and Lopez were checked out at a hospital and released.Their union, Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, said it makes sure workers follow rigorous safety protocols.

The building's owner, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said it was suspending window cleaning there while investigating what happened. The window washing company and the rig's supplier, which built and repaired scaffolds involved in two other high-profile accidents in recent years, didn't immediately return calls seeking comment.

Officials haven't determined what caused the cable problem. The cables are controlled from the scaffold vehicle, the fire commissioner said.

It was unclear whether anything about the design of the 1,776-foot (541-meter), 104-story skyscraper complicates working the window washing scaffolds, which went into service in June.

The window washers were working for Upgrade Services Window Cleaning, which services other prominent New York skyscrapers, including 4 World Trade Center.

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