Ithaca authorities met to answer safety concerns after a fire took the life of a Cornell University Senior over the weekend. Unattended cooking is to blame for the blaze that erupted just after midnight Friday at 107 Cook Street. The home was divided up into several apartments that housed 13 Cornell students. Ithaca’s Deputy Fire Chief Tom Parsons says older homes that have been split up into apartments pose an added fire challenge because there are greater numbers of people to look for, and a building that’s been pieced together can have a lot of void spaces where fire can travel hidden throughout the building
The home did have working smoke detectors. It is a total loss and will be torn down later this week. An investigation continues into why 21-year-old Brian Lo did not make it out.
The Deputy Fire Chief suspects alcohol may be involved, but investigators are still awaiting autopsy results.
