Firefighters douse blaze at Princeton Shopping Center

Smoky fire started in basement of American Sew and Vac.

By: David Campbell
   Some stores at Princeton Shopping Center were evacuated Wednesday due to a fire at American Sew and Vac, police said.
   Princeton Township police and the Princeton Fire Department responded at 5:48 p.m. Wednesday to a water-flow alarm at the shopping center. While investigating, the owner of American Sew and Vac called to report there was smoke in his store, police said.
   Several other stores were evacuated due to the heavy smoke and difficulty by firefighters in finding the location of the blaze. Firefighters eventually located the source in the basement storage area of American Sew and Vac. The fire was extinguished with the help of the store’s sprinkler system, police said.
   Emergency units stayed on the scene to clear smoke until approximately 9:15 p.m.
   The cause of the fire was unclear and is being investigated by the township fire marshal, police said.
   During the fire, all three Princeton fire companies were on the scene, aided by fire departments from Kingston, Rocky Hill and West Windsor. Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad also was on the scene, police said.