Ian Alberta Dies In Tragic Fire
A fire in Heights Court 111-113 that was described by eyewitnesses as “fierce” and burned for three hours from 03:00 to 06:00 Saturday morning resulted in the injury of one student and two firemen and the death of Ian Alberta, a Cornell senior. The firemen were treated and released on scene, and the injured student received attention at Cayuga Medical Center. Because the fire department refused to release Alberta’s name, I am not posting this until I see it published in the Cornell Daily Sun or another newspaper.
Ian Alberta, 2006, was originally from the Ithaca area. Graduating this year, he would be turning 23 in late July. He was a fine arts major with an interest in sculpture, and held an appointment at the Johnson Art Museum as a Preparator. He also played electric bass guitar for the band Somatic Umbra (Sleepy Shadow, in English), who have a sampling of their music on their myspace page. His taste in music included alt-rock favorites like Radiohead, Modest Mouse, Portishead, Franz Ferdinand, and Outkast, as well as other less-known bands.
A good photo of Ian can be found on his facebook profile page:
His band also has a good picture of him playing with them:
As usual, here is his facebook profile for immortalization:
A memorial service will be held later this week for friends and relatives. My heart and condolences go out to everyone who knew Ian Alberta. May his family find peace and his soul rest in tranquility.
Update: Cornell News has issued a release.