Shortly after midnight on February 27, 1975, the FDNY was called to the New York Telephone Building in Manhattan after a company employee noticed smoke on the first floor. 50 years later, this fire is still remembered for its toxic impact on FDNY members and the neighborhood.   “This was the beginning of one of the most difficult fires that has ever confronted the New York City Fire Department. Before this fire would be declared under control, more than 16 hours later, over 700 firefighters from 72 units would operate at this blaze,” then Deputy Chiefs Roger Rodriguez and Elmer Chapman in a 1975 article about the operation. “The suppression of this fire was made very difficult by the heavy toxic smoke which reduced vision to inches and dictated the use of masks even for street operations. Another factor was the maze-like floor layouts and the ability of the frames to contain the beat during the fire, and after the fire was extinguished. Stripped of their insulation, the banks of wire glowed and radiated heat like a giant toaster – a toaster with an area of close to 30,000 square feet on each floor.”   More than 235 members were injured. Years later, many members developed long term health effects and cancer from the fire and exposure to the toxins it produced.