This story has been updated as of April 26 at 9:58 p.m. to include a statement from PeakMade Real Estate, which manages GeoTowns.
A common student housing location experienced a brief fire on the evening of Easter Monday.
The side of a townhouse complex located at 513 Albert St., which is part of the largely student-populated GeoTowns property, briefly caught fire on the evening of April 6. According to PulsePoint, Kingston Fire & Rescue were notified of the fire at 10:12 p.m. Roughly four minutes later, a Journal reporter on scene observed several firetrucks on site, with the fire extinguished shortly afterwards.
The fire set ablaze a wooden garbage and bike storage area, which is attached to the side of the building. No public information has been released on the cause or source of the fire.
The wooden garbage area on fire, pictured at 10:17 p.m. PHOTO BY JONATHAN REILLY
The area after the fire after had been extinguished, blocked off with caution tape, pictured at 10:51 p.m. PHOTO BY JONATHAN REILLY
Another angle of the wooden area after the fire had been extinguished, pictured at 10:52 p.m. PHOTO BY JONATHAN REILLY
In a statement to The Journal, Justin Knapp, regional manager of GeoTown’s management company PeakMade Real Estate, explained no one was injured and added that “no homes were impacted.”
“Our team responded quickly to secure the area and we are working closely with local fire and police officials as they determine the cause. Out of an abundance of caution we are also reviewing site conditions and safety protocols to help prevent similar incidents in the future. The safety and well-being of our residents is, as always, our top priority.”
He did not address the cause of the fire, despite specific questioning from The Journal.
Tags
Fire, house, Off campus housing
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Leocadia Harcourt
Nice clear reporting. Any update on injuries or how many students were displaced? Also curious if there’s info on fire-safety inspections for similar off-campus housing — worth knowing for others living nearby.