City firefighters extinguish a Saturday afternoon attic fire at 40 Homer Ave. CORTLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT
City firefighters extinguished an attic fire Saturday afternoon at a two-family home on Homer Avenue, according to the department.
Firefighters were called at 3:44 p.m. to the residences at 40 Homer Ave. and quickly put out the flames, said Chief Wayne Friedman. No one was injured by the fire, Friedman said.
“The fire was contained to the attic space,” Friedman said in a phone interview this afternoon.
Fire investigators have not finished their final report, but early indications suggest the flames were ignited by an electrical issue, Friedman said.
Both apartments in the two family home had residents, he noted, adding two adults and four children were displaced after the fire. Two of the children spent last night with relatives, Friedman said.
Those displaced were not members of the same family, Friedman said. Information on who comprised each of the families at the two apartments was unavailable.
Friedman described the fire damage to the structure as “minor,” in a news release Saturday. While the flames were contained to the attic, there was smoke and water damage throughout the building, he noted.
“The damage was minor in the apartments,” Friedman said Sunday. “There was some water damage, but not terrible.”
The apartments could be reoccupied once the electrical systems are checked for safety concerns, Friedman said. Until then, power will not be restored, he said.
The property’s owner was on the scene Saturday afternoon and had already begun looking into various repairs, Friedman said.
No code violations have been reported at the property, he said.
JCE Property Management, LLC., owns 40 Homer Ave., according to Cortland County property tax rolls. The two-family home’s market value is listed at $134,831.
