The underground fires that have burned at the World Trade Center site since the terrorist attacks on September 11th have finally been extinguished.
Fire officials confirmed that the fires are now considered extinguished, but they would not rule out the possibility that a small pocket might still be burning.
"It is pretty well contained," said a spokesman for the department. "There might be some pockets still burning, but we consider the fire to be out."
He added that a firetruck remains on standby at the site.
The fires had smoldered for months beneath the centre’s debris, sending acrid clouds of smoke that could be smelled at times several miles away in Brooklyn and upper Manhattan.
The fires were fuelled by such things as documents and office furniture. As demolition and rescue crews toiled to clear the debris, air pockets would open, causing flare-ups.
For months the fires had been strong enough that firetrucks had to spray a nearly constant jet of water on them. At times, the flames slowed the work of clearing the site.
AP