A room in an apartment complex on South Aurora Street caught fire this afternoon, according to officials from the Ithaca Fire Department, causing them to block off several blocks of South Aurora, Prospect and Pleasant streets for several hours.
Assistant Chief Daniel Tier III said the fire was located on 313 South Aurora St. after a neighbor called when he noticed smoke in his apartment next door.
Tier said windows were shattered, and there was fire and smoke coming from a third story window when officials arrived on the scene and contained the flames. He said no one was injured in the fire.
Tier said his team is investigating a possible power surge as the cause of the fire.
"We've had about a dozen complaints from houses in this area," Tier said.
Assistant Chief Mike Schnurle said the roads reopened at 9 p.m. He said investigators and the New York State Electric and Gas Company are still on the scene.
Ed Cope, the owner of the apartment complex, said officials told him they had to cut the power to surrounding homes to be safe.
Federro Gonzalez, a senior at Cornell University who lives on the first floor of the apartment building, said his roommate and neighbors had been experiencing electrical problems recently.
"Things like light bulbs going out, and even blackouts on the entire street," Gonzalez said. "Before I saw [the smoke], I heard the TV pop."
Senior Thomas Muscara, who lives at 309 Aurora St., said before he saw the smoke in his apartment, he heard his microwave, television and stereo make strange popping noises.
Muscara said he called 911 when he entered his roommate's bedroom and found it filled with smoke that had developed presumably from these electrical "pops."
Upon his discovery, he ran outside to tell his neighbors, some of whom were resting on the front lawn. They didn't realize the fire until they looked up and actually saw flames exploding out the top window. Muscara said that the neighbors were caught off-guard, and flagged down a passing-by police car. When the fire department showed up, Muscara said the doors were locked, so the firemen took an axe to the front doors of apartment 311 and 313 on So. Aurora. Ouch!
Schnurle said 12 occupants have been displaced from the building but could not release their names. The Red Cross is currently helping them find shelter.
SIDE NOTE: I got a call from Editor of the Ithacan, Erin Geismar at about 4:30 today, just after I had slipped into my pajamas for some good afternoon vegetation. She said there was a fire, according to Editor Libby Sile, who was just driving by, and if I wanted it, the story was mine! So I quickly dressed, ran to Park and was thrown into my first on-site story! The action was all very exciting. My editor, Lindsey Hollenbaugh, contributed to this story and got some last minute facts. I'm hoping to do a more investigative piece on these mysterious "power surges." More news to come on that!
ALSO! I would love to get the name of who lives in that bedroom on 313 Aurora St. where the fire occurred. Anyone? Please let me know! Apparently, students of the complex weren't very familiar with him.
No comments:
Post a Comment