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.