Two-Alarm Fire Destroys USGS Aquatic Lab in Cortlandville

On Thursday, November 6th, at approximately 5:23 p.m., the Cortlandville and Homer Fire Departments were dispatched to the USGS Tunison Aquatic Lab, located on Gracie Road in the Town of Cortlandville, for a reported structure fire.

Initial reports from the facility indicated that an electrical fire had started and was extending into the building. Employees at the facility attempted to extinguish the fire using several fire extinguishers but were unsuccessful.

Upon arrival, firefighters encountered heavy smoke coming from the building, and a second alarm was transmitted, bringing additional resources to the scene. Firefighters initially attempted to attack the fire from inside the structure but were quickly forced to withdraw due to rapidly deteriorating conditions and the collapse of several sections of the roof.

Multiple hose lines were deployed, along with a tower ladder, to attack the fire from the exterior. A significant portion of the fire was knocked down within approximately one hour. Firefighting operations were complicated by a lack of reliable water supply, requiring multiple tanker trucks to respond and establish a water shuttle operation.

The City of Cortland Police Department also assisted by deploying its drone equipped with thermal imaging capabilities to help firefighters identify remaining hot spots.

At the time of the fire, the building was undergoing electrical system upgrades. Although the facility was fully equipped with an automatic sprinkler system, the system was impaired at the time of the incident. The building has been deemed a total loss.

There were no reported civilian or firefighter injuries. The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental and electrical in nature.

The Cortlandville Fire Department was assisted by the Homer, Virgil, McGraw, Marathon, Preble, Harford, Dryden, McLean, Killawog, and Locke Fire Departments; Cortland County Sheriff's Office; City of Cortland Police Department; New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control; Cortland County Department of Emergency Response and Communications; Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response and Communications; Town of Cortlandville Highway Department; and TLC-EMS.

Firefighters remained on scene conducting suppression, overhaul, and fire investigation operations before clearing the scene at approximately 1:00 a.m.