Fire at Dryden apartment complex attributed to discarded cigarettes

Firefighters at the scene of a blaze at the Poets Landing apartment complex in Dryden (photo provided by Dryden Fire Department)

DRYDEN, N.Y. - No injuries were reported in a fire that ripped through the Poets Landing apartment complex in the village of Dryden late Wednesday afternoon.

At around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Dryden Fire Department was dispatched to 10 Keats Way at Poets Landing in the village of Dryden for a reported fire on the porch of an 8-unit, multi-family apartment building.

All occupants had safely evacuated the building prior to the arrival of firefighters, according to Dryden Fire Chief Mike Hall.

Firefighters arrived within 6 minutes of the initial call from the Tompkins County 911 Center. Crews made entry into the structure before quickly exiting due to the extent of the fire.

The blaze was brought under control at about 6:30 p.m. Fire crews remained on scene until 11:30 p.m.

A preliminary investigation has indicated that the fire was caused by improperly discarded cigarettes, Chief Hall said.

The Dryden Fire Department was assisted at the scene by fire departments from Freeville, McLean, Etna, Groton, Harford, Virgil, Varna, Cayuga Heights, Cortlandville, and Homer. Other agencies that responded include Dryden Ambulance, TLC Ambulance, Dryden Police Department, New York State Police, Tompkins County Sheriff's Office, Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response, NYS Office of Fire Prevention and Control, and American Red Cross.