Emergency personnel swarm the site of the Deutsche Bank building Saturday during a fire at ground zero in New York. Two firefighters died after going into cardiac arrest.

New York ? Two New York firefighters died and several others were injured while battling a massive blaze at the former Deutsche Bank building south of ground zero Saturday in a haunting scene in lower Manhattan reminiscent of Sept. 11, officials said.

Joseph Graffagnino, 34, of Brooklyn, working for Engine 24, and another firefighter who was not identified because his relatives had not been notified, went into cardiac arrest and died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Authorities said they were found on the 14th floor.

“Our city has worked hard to recover from that awful day in September almost six years ago, and today’s sad events extend the sacrifice that this fire department has made,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a news conference in NYU Downtown Hospital, where firefighters gathered by the entrance to the emergency room. “We will honor their memories as we have all of their fallen brothers.”

Graffagnino, an eight-year veteran, and the other firefighter, who has been on the job for more than two decades, are the second and third firefighters to die in the city this year.

“It just goes to remind everybody that we have men and women who run into danger when the rest of us are running away from it,” Bloomberg said.

The fire started about 3:40 p.m. in the building at 130 Liberty St. The structure was 41 stories on Sept. 11, 2001; construction workers have been working for months to take it apart.

The abandoned skyscraper has been the subject of long court battles and concerns over toxic contamination. The ongoing discovery of remains from Sept. 11 victims since it was badly damaged by the trade center’s south tower has stalled the building’s deconstruction.

About 275 firefighters battled the blaze, which was still burning Saturday night.

A fire official said the building did not have functioning standpipes, which would have allowed firefighters to tap into a water source faster. Instead, they had to use ropes to pull up the hoses.

The cause and the origin of the fire are unknown.

Construction workers were doing asbestos abatement work in the building when the fire started.

A spokeswoman for Bovis Lend Lease, the company in charge of the cleaning and dismantling of the building, declined to comment.

While the fire sparked concerns about poor air quality and a potential building collapse, causing nearby residents to be temporarily evacuated, Bloomberg said there was nothing to worry about.

“There is no danger whatsoever,” he said. “Air quality and the environmental impact, as you might imagine, are top concerns to us and we are monitoring the situation very closely.”

More results from environmental tests are expected this morning, he said.