ITHACA, N.Y. — The Ithaca Commons was filled with firetrucks and onlookers Wednesday evening as the Ithaca Fire Department (IFD) responded to a report of smoke coming from the roof of the Harold’s Square apartment building.A chain of events caused the incident, which turned out to just be a smoky generator instead of an actual fire. The generator was activated when a large power outage struck downtown Ithaca, causing nearly 3,000 households in Tompkins County to lose power for around 90 minutes.When the generator turned on, it emitted a smoky exhaust, said IFD spokesperson Jim Wheal. Firefighters responding from Collegetown saw the smoke and thought a fire was in progress, Wheal said, which explains scanner reports to that effect at the time of the incident.Four fire engines parked on the Commons and a ladder was extended to reach the top of the Harold’s Square building.When first responders reached the roof, they did not find a fire. The power outage that triggered the incident was anticipated to last until 9:30 p.m. initially, but NYSEG’s outage list now shows no households missing power in Tompkins County as of 9 p.m. and most power was returned downtown around 7 p.m.NYSEG has not yet confirmed what caused the power outage.The post Smoky generator draws large fire department response to Commons appeared first on The Ithaca Voice.First published by The Ithaca Voice.