Newsday

A grand jury probe by Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau has amassed more than 3 million documents, including building and work records, which have to be reviewed as part of the criminal investigation.

"It's just a really, really huge undertaking," spokeswoman Barbara Thompson said Friday.

Thompson declined to give a date by which charges might be forthcoming, but noted New York has no statute of limitations for homicide.

The Aug. 18 fire killed Robert Beddia, 53, of Staten Island, and Joseph Graffagnino, 33, of Brooklyn, who were trapped on the upper levels of the building. The structure was severely damaged in the Sept. 11 attacks and was being dismantled when the fire started. Investigators determined that a standpipe that had provided water to the floors where the fire broke out had been disconnected.

A 42-foot section of the pipe had been removed, delaying how quickly firefighters could get water to the higher floors. The missing standpipe was reportedly missed or not mentioned by city building inspectors.

Morgenthau told reporters earlier this week that a combination of mishaps and errors at the building led to the fatal fire. One law enforcement official indicated that charges of criminally negligent homicide were under review.

Kat O'Brien Ahlers, a spokeswoman for the city corporation counsel, said the city was making every effort to cooperate with Morgenthau's investigation.

"As a result - and given the fact that our office does not specialize in matters of this type - it was clearly responsible to retain outside counsel," Ahlers said.

She noted that the Manhattan law firm retained to help the city - Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel - had been paid $1.5 million so far at what she said was a discounted rate.