ITHACA — Firefighters extinguished a fire in the attic of University Hall No. 5 at Cornell University Thursday — overcoming conditions that could have led to a larger, more hazardous blaze, fire officials said.
Firefighters saw smoke coming from holes in the roof in a four-story structure being demolished as part of Cornell's West Campus construction project at about 10:44 a.m., fire officials said. The holes had been cut by workers, they added.
It seems the fire started when a demolition contractor spilled gas while refueling a rotary saw, fire officials said. A saw being used to cut pipes nearby threw some sparks, which ignited the gasoline, they added.
Since demolition work had removed the structure's water, or standpipe system, and fire hydrants close to the building had been shut down. Firefighters “carried a lot of hose” along with chemical and pressurized water fire extinguishers into the building, said Lt. Dave Burbank of the Ithaca Fire Department.
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