May 3, 1993

The Times

Dog dies in student house fire

PRINCETON BOROUGH — A fire ripped through an apartment house rented by eight Princeton University students on North Tulane Street late Saturday. destroying much of the house and killing a pet dog, but the students were all away, police said.

Two firefighters were treated at The Medical Center at Princeton for minor smoke inhalation. but no other injuries were reported, police said.

About 60 firefighters fought the blaze, which started in a first-floor living room and quickly spread to the third floor and through the roof. A passer-by spotted flames and smoke coming from a first-floor win-dow about 11:45 p.m. Saturday and had a neighbor telephone for help.

Fire officials said the blaze apparently started accidentally in a sofa, and they are looking into whether careless smoking was the cause. Most of the student tenants were on campus when the fire began, police said. The last had left the house about 7:30 p.m.

The names of the tenants and owner of the house were not released yesterday.

The third floor of the house was destroyed by the fire. Borough officials have condemned the building. police said. All three Princeton fire companies fought the blaze, along with the Princeton Junction and Kingston fire companies.