CORTLANDVILLE, NY (607NewsNow) — A fire that started at approximately 5:23 p.m. on Thursday, November 5th, 2026, has left the USGS Tunison Aquatic Lab beyond repair.

The Cortlandville Fire Department and Homer Fire Department were dispatched to the scene for a report of a structure fire. It had been initially reported that the cause of the fire was electrical and was spreading throughout the building, according to the Cortlandville Fire Department. Employees who were at the facility attempted to put out the fire with extinguishers, but to no avail. The building was undergoing electrical maintenance, with the automatic sprinkler system not functioning properly at the time of the fire. The fire was ultimately ruled to be accidental.

Photo from drone used by the Cortland Police Department, showing hot spots using thermal imaging. Photo taken from the Cortlandville Fire Department Facebook page.

A message from the Cortlandville Fire Department Facebook page reads:

“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.”

No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported. Ten additional local fire departments assisted the Cortlandville Fire Department in total, along with other law enforcement and EMS agencies. Firefighters conducted suppression, overhaul, and fire investigation operations before clearing the scene at approximately 1:00 a.m. on Friday, November 6th.