4+ ALARMS IN EAST WINDSOR
Photos By: Dennis Symons, NJ
Firefighters Online
Story
By: Michael Arges and John Patten
Used with permission from the Windsor-Hights Herald
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?brd=1628
EAST WINDSOR TOWNSHIP (Mercer County)—A fire in an Avon Drive apartment
building killed one resident and left nearly three dozen homeless, despite the
efforts of 11area fire companies.
According to a statement issued by East Windsor police, the fire was
reported at 1:53 a.m. when several calls reported smoke and flames in the U-1
unit on Avon Drive.
By the time emergency crews arrived, the unit was already engulfed in
smoke and flames. All occupants from the 15 units in the complex were evacuated.
The name of the resident killed in the fire has not been released,
pending notification of family members and positive identification, according to
the report.
In addition to the fatality, one volunteer fire fighter with East Windsor
Fire Company #2 received an ankle injury, one resident received lacerations to
the hand and two residents were hospitalized due to smoke inhalation.
At this time, all of the units in the U-1 building remain unoccupiable, due
either to extensive smoke and water damage or lack of utility services which
were shut off to the building.
Volunteers with the American Red Cross are at the scene, providing
assistance to the 30-35 homeless residents and have vowed to keep their
"Emergency Response Vehicle" there until everyone needing assistance
has been helped.
Also on the scene are investigators with the Mercer County Prosecutor's
Office, the Mercer County Arson Unit, the East Windsor Fire Marshall and East
Windsor Police Department. No cause for the fire has been cited yet, and
investigators are continuing to search for clues in the cause of the fire.
At the peak of the fire fighting efforts, 11 fire companies and three
rescue squads were on hand. Responding fire companies included East Windsor Fire
Co. #2, East Windsor Fire Co. #1, Hightstown, Cranbury, West Windsor, Hope Fire
Company of Allentown, Washington Township Fire Co., Plainboro, Princeton
Junction, Nottingham and Applegarth Fire Companies. East Windsor Rescue #2,
Rescue #1 and Hightstown Rescue squads were also present.
Washington Township Firefighter Dan Schaffener works to extinguish a fire off of a ground ladder in North East Side of the building.
Part of Washington Township's Crew works on the East Side of the building.
