High-rise set on fire by fire departments for fire research (February 2008)

Firefighters, fire experts and engineers are converging on New York's Governors Island for a week of pyrotechnics aimed at finding ways to prevent and contain blazes in high-rise buildings.

Members of fire departments in Los Angeles, Chicago and other cities are expected to be there, along with FDNY firefighters, watching the proceedings.

A seven-story apartment building on the island off lower Manhattan faces being gutted by a daily series of fires set intentionally during the experiments. The first test was Saturday.

The building has been wired with sensors and video cameras to record the impact of the fire and other elements.

Since 1980, 11 people have died in high-rise fires in New York City, including four firefighters.