Fire guts faculty housing

A fire raged through a faculty housing complex across from McCarter Theatre yesterday afternoon, leaving several University faculty and staff members homeless but no individuals or pets injured, according to University spokeswoman Cass Cliatt '96.

The fire, which was reported at 2:29 p.m., caused severe damage to Unit 2 of the College Road Apartments, which are located on College Road between University Place and Alexander Street. The cause of the fire remains unknown, said Deputy Chief Roy James of Princeton Fire Department's Station 61.

Damage assessments have yet to be made, and police and fire officials have closed College Road indefinitely while they investigate the cause of the fire, Cliatt said. The two-story building, built in 1922, houses 32 University faculty and staff members in 13 units.

The University is providing emergency housing for all residents of the complex at the Nassau Inn, according to a resident of the complex.

At least six people were evacuated from the building as flames burst through the main window of Unit 2. The fire burned through to the attic and spread to the attics of adjacent units.

Firemen attempted to stop the fire from inside the building, but the interior of Unit 2 was "too hot," James said. The firemen were evacuated from the building at around 2:40 p.m. because of concerns that the ceiling would collapse.

Two ladder trucks were set up around the building — one along Alexander Street and the other behind the building — to create perches from which the firemen sprayed jets of water at the roof to put out the fire. The roof was severely damaged by the combination of spray and flame, which resulted in gaping holes, displaced shingles and a mangled gutter. The smoke began to clear around 4:20 p.m.

A few firefighters and police officers stayed into the night to remove debris, tossing bed frames and the charred hulks of other large items out of the second-story window of Unit 2.

At least 13 fire engines reported to the scene, including units sent by fire companies from neighboring municipalities, James said. The Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad also responded with ambulances and a heavy-rescue truck, and Borough Police and Public Safety officers diverted traffic and guarded the scene. Animal rescue came to save the five dogs, two cats, a newt and a toad that were stuck inside four of the units, and the American Red Cross also arrived at the scene to provide assistance to residents and firefighters in the form of water, coffee and tea, Cliatt said.