15 March, 1991 (~estimated)

Sterilizer Destroyed In Medical Bldg. Fire / Bread Left in Oven

A $1,500 sterilizer, containing $1,000 worth of medical instruments, was destroyed by a fire Sunday night in a laboratory in the Urology Department at the Medical Office Building on Witherspoon Street.

Police received a call at 7:28 reporting a smoke condition. Upon his arrival, Ptl. Ernest Silagyi was directed by two cleaning personnel to the lab where the officer found flames coming from a silver-colored metal box. He was able to smother the blaze with a powder extinguisher from his patrol car before firemen, responding to a general alarm, arrived on the scene.

Firemen vented the building of smoke and removed the metal sterilizer. According to Lt. Mario Musso, the sterilizer was supposed to shut off automatically but failed to do so. The fire was discovered by the cleaning persons who smelled smoke.

Bread Left in Oven

In a second fire in the Township, police were called at 8:51 Thursday night of the Lawrence Apartments off West Drive.

Police were met by two University proctors who led them through a smoke-filled hallway to an apartment where smoke was coming from under the door.

Entering the apartment with a pass key, the officers determined the smoke was emanating from the kitchen. There they discovered a loaf of bread on a wooden cutting board left unattended unattended in the oven.

They were able to extinguish the smouldering fire before the arrival of the fire department. No one was home at the time….

Continued on Next Page