NEW YORK, NY January 13, 2008 —The grand jury considering criminal charges in connection with a deadly fire at the former Deutsche Bank is focusing primarily on the private contractors working on the building's demolition, rather than on the government agencies that hired them. That's according to sources familiar with the Manhattan District Attorney's investigation.

A new subcontractor was hired last week to replace the John Galt Corporation, which was removed from the job after the August blaze that killed two firefighters. Officials at the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which owns the building, say the now 26-story skyscraper should be taken down before the end of the year.