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Around 10:45 pm last night, April 27th, the City of Cortland Fire Department responded to 10 ½ Rickard Street for a reported structure fire. Reports quickly came into 9-1-1 dispatch that a grill was on fire on the second floor balcony and had spread to the house.
As firefighters arrived, they could see heavy smoke coming from a distance and an all hands fire was called. Firefighters immediately began to ensure everyone inside the building was evacuated and proceeded to go into the attic area.
“Access to the attic area was not easily located which made suppression activities difficult”, according to Fire Chief Wayne Friedman.
Reports to X101 tell there was an unknown apartment in the attic area of the building, which made the access difficult. Flames could be seen shooting out of the chimney and roof line of the building. Cortlandville, and Homer Fire Departments also arrived to provide assistance.
Nearly 25 firefighters were on scene and were able to put out the fire around 40 minutes from the time of call. Crews continued to search for any hotspots to avoid a rekindle.
Further investigation confirmed reports the cause of the fire was a cooking grill that caught fire on the balcony and started the structure fire.
No occupants in the building were injured. However, one firefighter was injured, sustaining a shoulder injury. They were evaluated and released from the hospital.
Due to the damage from fire, smoke, and water, the home is now uninhabitable. The Red Cross is currently assisting the occupants, 3 adults and 2 children.
Additionally assisting Cortland Fire was TLC Ambulance, Cortland Police, National Grid, and NYSEG. Crews were cleared around 2:30 am.
