On March 15, firefighters from the City of Cortland Fire Department responded to a suspected smoke condition at 204 Main Street, Apartment 3, following police reports of smoke alarms blaring within the building.

Upon arrival, workers discovered nothing on the exterior of the two-story, four-unit apartment complex. Firefighters went up to the second story, where they met moderate smoke and discovered an active fire above the ceiling in a first-floor bedroom. Crews rapidly extinguished the fire, bringing the issue under control in about 10 minutes. There were no injuries recorded among occupants or emergency workers. However, due to fire damage, the building was ruled dangerous for occupancy, and the American Red Cross was contacted to help displaced tenants.

The department's fire investigation team decided that the fire was incendiary, so the case was turned over to the Cortland City Police Department for further investigation.