The wife of fallen Buffalo Firefighter Jason Arno has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

The suit names the city, fire department, contractors working on the building and former Rep. Chris Jacobs, the owner of the building where Arno lost his life.

In a statement, Jacobs said he respects Arno's family's right to take legal action, but he disputes some claims about his company:

“My family continues to keep the Arno family in our thoughts and prayers. At the same time, I fully respect the family’s right to take legal action over this awful tragedy. 

“However, there are several claims about my company’s actions or omissions with the building, which I owned for only 10 weeks, that I believe are inaccurate, but now is not the time to challenge these claims. 

“I pride myself as being a responsible real estate developer as demonstrated by the success of several buildings and properties on Main Street. My goal was to fully restore 743 Main Street in a similar fashion.

“This is a tragedy that continues to deeply sadden my family and as the matter is now in the process of being litigated, it would be inappropriate for any further comment at this time.”

Firefighter Jason Arno

The fire at 745 Main Street in Buffalo's Theater District this past March that claimed Arno's life has been ruled as accidental, according to Erie County District Attorney John Flynn.

He said the ruling came from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Flynn explained that construction workers using a blow torch and metal shovel to melt snow and ice on and around the building near a makeshift plywood door with combustible elements behind it led to the fire.

Fire Commissioner William Renaldo said Arno was 30 to 40 feet inside the building when he issued a mayday call, which led to the emergency evacuation of the building. Arno was not heard from again.