Two firefighters were killed Saturday while battling a blaze at the former Deutsche Bank office building in New York, vacant since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks turned it into a toxic nightmare, CNN reported.

The seven-alarm fire began about 3:40 p.m. on the 14th or 15th floor of the Deutsche Bank building, located just south of New York's ground zero, and spread through several floors.

Its cause was not immediately known.

The firefighters became trapped, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters, as cited by CNN.

Both were taken to Beekman Hospital in cardiac arrest and later were pronounced dead, he said.

Bloomberg identified one of the victims as Joseph Graffagnino, 34, an eight-year veteran with FDNY. The second firefighter's name was not released because relatives had not been notified, the mayor said.

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