PRINCETON: Quick thinking by workmen prevent fire from getting out of control

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Quick action by workmen prevented a small fire from becoming a larger one in an office building at the 601 Ewing Street office complex at lunchtime Wednesday.
Workmen were using torches to solder copper pipes on air conditioning units outside Building C, according to the Princeton Police Department.
The torch caused insulation inside the walls to ignite, resulting in minor damage to the studs inside the wall, police said. The fire was quickly extinguished by the workers on the scene.
Patrolman Steve Kucinski, who responded to the scene, evacuated the building because of the light haze of smoke created by the fire. There were no injuries.
Firefighters from the Princeton Fire Department, as well as firefighters from Lawrence, Montgomery and Plainsboro townships, responded to the scene. The Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad also responded, along with the Princeton Fire Marshal’s Office.
Firefighters used a saw to remove some of the siding on Building C to search for pockets of hidden fire, spraying the exposed insulation and studs with a fire hose. Damage to the building was minimal, and firefighters left the scene at about 2 p.m., police said.