Firefighters from the Ithaca Fire Department responded to a report of a car on fire in the Oxley Parking Lot near the Vet School on Wednesday morning after Cornell emergency workers were unable to successfully get the blaze under control, according to IFD Lieutenant Tom Basher.
IFD arrived on the scene around 10 a.m. to find a car with its engine compartment on fire. The car was in close proximity to several other vehicles, according to an IFD press release.
Cornell Environmental Health and Safety personnel secured the area and led firefighters to the scene.
“Cornell EHS was on the scene first. Those guys did a great job, but they only carry fire extinguishers,” Basher said. “A lot of times they try to handle it, but with some bigger fires they need our help. They tried, they did a really good job.”
IFD firefighters extinguished the fire in under 10 minutes and no other cars were damaged, according to an IFD press release.
The cause of the fire was under investigation as of Wednesday night, according to Basher.
“We’re not sure what caused it. It was a problem in the engine compartment,” he said. “It’s still under investigation.”
Original Author: Rebecca Harris