(Photo provided by Kevin L. Smith of The Cortland Voice).
A building in the city of Cortland saw its second fire this year, according to a report.
The City of Cortland Fire Department report stated at about 5:30 a.m. on Friday, crews arrived at the building on 139 Main St. after an initial call of smoke coming from the roof. The report noted that crews found a “column of light” coming from the roof.
According to the report, city firefighters forced entry through a locked front door. The report noted that a firefighter sustained a minor laceration injury when assisting in forcing the door open.
The report continued by saying that firefighters quickly put out a small fire that started in a barbecue grill in a bedroom on the second floor. The fire was determined to be intentional.
The Main Street building used to hold Garcia’s Mexican restaurant and grocery store and apartments on the second floor of the structure. Both, however, were displaced following a building fire in March of this year.
City deputy fire chief Derek Reynolds told The Cortland Voice on Friday that firefighters removed a homeless individual on the second floor from inside the secured building. According to Reynolds, the property owner filed a trespass notice against the homeless individual, but the individual found a way into the building a second time. Further details surrounding the individual remain to be seen.
After extinguishing Friday morning’s fire, city firefighters searched for additional occupants and checked for fire extension. Firefighters secured the property and turned it over to the property owner, the report stated.
