A small fire erupted yesterday afternoon in Lewis Thomas Laboratory and forced students and faculty to vacate the building.
An overheated generator that had been running all day caused the fire, Princeton Borough Fire Chief Neil Hunter said.
Firefighters arrived on campus around 3 p.m. after a report of smoke and a fire alarm. The building was immediately evacuated, and nobody was injured, Hunter said.
Though the fire was small and contained, the fire department was on location for about two hours, he said.
"It didn't take long to actually put out the flame," Hunter said, "but it did take some time to locate and access the fire."
Finding the fire required the use of thermal imaging cameras. Once the fire was located, fire department personnel had to cut through the ceiling to extinguish the flame.
"We had to break through the steel roof, which was a challenge," Hunter said.
The fire affected only the fourth floor and roof of the building. "It did not affect any of the laboratories," Hunter said. No hazardous materials were involved.
The fire was caused by an overheated exhaust pipe for an electrical generator that was being tested, said Garth Walters, the University's director of environmental health and safety in a University announcement.
"The excessive heat caused some wood work in the roof to catch on fire," Hunter added.
The problem electrical generator is not a main generator in the laboratory.
After a complete investigation to confirm that the fire had not spread, the building was declared safe, and reopened at 5 p.m., Hunter said.
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