NEW YORK, NY September 21, 2007 —The city and owner of an abandoned ground zero skyscraper where two firefighters died amid a tangle of deathtraps will make several safety changes including fixing the hazardous stairwells and clearing out combustible debris.

Officials said shortly after last month's fatal fire that the firefighters who responded to the former Deutsche Bank tower encountered dangerous conditions that made their job even more risky.

The skyscraper has been condemned since the 9-11 attacks six years ago, when it was hit by debris from the plane crash and collapse of the World Trade Center's south tower. Workers were in the midst of dismantling it floor by floor when last month's fatal fire broke out.

The building's owner, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, said today it had agreed to the city's safety protocols to improve the working conditions and fire safety in the building. They also agreed that a site safety manager must be on site every day, 24 hours a day.