Roof Fire Extinguished in Old Main

12/30/2013

A reported fire in an attic mechanical room of a SUNY Cortland academic building forced the building’s evacuation Monday morning. The situation in Old Main was quickly brought under control and no injuries were reported.

Old Main will re-open Tuesday, Dec. 31, for normal business hours and spring semester classes will begin as scheduled Wednesday, Jan. 22.

Damage caused by the fire, which set off alarms around 9:15 a.m., was limited to a portion of the building’s roof. Fire departments from Cortland, Cortlandville, Dryden and Homer responded and extinguished the fire quickly from within the attic.

Some offices located directly below the attic mechanical room experienced water damage when the fire was put out. Initial clean-up of those areas was completed Monday and contractors will begin repair work this week. Any faculty or staff member whose office was directly impacted has been notified by email.

Fire investigators from Cortland City Fire Investigation and the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control still are working to determine the exact cause of the fire.