Early morning Cortland house fire considered suspicious

CORTLAND, N.Y. – A two-story home on Riverview Avenue in the city of Cortland is a total loss following a house fire early Monday morning.

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At around 5:47 a.m., crews responded to 16 Riverview Avenue for a report of a house fire.

The home was fully engulfed in flames by the time crews arrived, according to City of Cortland Deputy Fire Chief Wayne Friedman.

The home had been vacant for an unknown period of time, Friedman said.

Crews from the city fire department battled the blaze for several hours Monday morning. Friedman says several downed power lines impeded access to a fire hydrant located across the street.

riverview fire

A two-story home on Riverview Avenue burned to the ground Monday morning. A house next door also suffered exterior damage (Peter Blanchard/Cortland Voice)

The exterior of a home on 18 Riverview Avenue was also damaged. No one was inside that home at the time of the fire, Friedman said, and the previous tenants had moved out last week.

Friedman says investigators consider the fire to be suspicious in nature.

"At this point it is being viewed as suspicious because there is no power or utilities there," Friedman said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the City of Cortland Fire Investigation Division and the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control.

The Homer Fire Department and Cortlandville Fire Department also assisted on scene.

Cortland Fire Department crews responded to a vacant building fire at 5:47 this morning at 16 Riverview Ave. Upon arrival crews faced a fully involved structure with power lines down. A second vacant structure on the D side sustained damage. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the City Fire Investigation Division and NYS Office of Fire Prevention and Control. Crews remain on scene.The Homer Fire Department, Cortlandville Fire Department assisted on scene while the Dryden Fire Department and TLC stood by.Minutes into the incident crews were dispatched to a second structure fire, which was unfounded.

Posted by City of Cortland Fire Dept. on Monday, August 3, 2015


 

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