Lawrence Crew Helps Protect Princeton During Blaze

A group of Lawrence Township volunteer firefighters was called into Princeton Township today (Monday, April 4) after a house fire erupted there.

At first, the crew from Lawrence Road Volunteer Fire Co. was dispatched to respond to the scene of the blaze at 88 Valley Rd., near Jefferson Road.

But they were then diverted to stand by at the Princeton Fire Department’s headquarters on Witherspoon Street to stand by to protect Princeton Township and Princeton Borough in case another fire happened to break out while Princeton firefighters were tied up on Valley Road.

One Princeton firefighter suffered a hand injury while battling the blaze. He was treated at University Medical Center at Princeton and later released, according to Princeton Fire Chief Dan Tomalin.

Tomalin said investigators have determined the blaze was electrical in nature and started in a crawlspace located beneath the kitchen of the two-story home.

He said the homeowner called 911 about 12:40 p.m. after arriving home and smelling a strong odor of smoke both outside and inside the residence.

Thick brownish smoke was issuing from the rear of the house when the first Princeton Township police officers and firefighters arrived on Valley Road, Tomalin said.

Flames could be seen in the crawlspace, but the crawlspace was so narrow that firefighters could not get in to safely attack the fire, he said.

He said firefighters ended up using multiple saws to cut through the kitchen floor and a section of the dining room floor to access and extinguish the flames.

The blaze was declared under control after about 45 minutes.

While the fire was contained to the area under the kitchen, the damage was enough to displace the homeowner and his wife for the night, Tomalin said, adding that he believed they planned to stay with relatives until their home can be repaired.

Still, Tomalin said, the damage could have been far worse. He pointed out that the house was of balloon-frame design, an older type of construction that features open voids and spaces in the walls that run between floors without fire stops. Fires in balloon-frame homes have been known to quickly spread from floor to floor.

“I think everyone did a great job stopping it [the fire] and keeping it to the kitchen area,” Tomalin said. “I want to thank the mutual aid companies for their assistance.”

While Lawrence Township firefighters were standing by at the Witherspoon Street firehouse, Princeton Fire Department was assisted on Valley Road by firefighters from Plainsboro, Rocky Hilly, Princeton Junction fire departments and Princeton Plasma Physics Lab Emergency Services, along with emergency medical personnel from Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad.