By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Three Palmer Square businesses were evacuated briefly on Nov. 15 after a fire broke out in a Dumpster inside a trash compactor room near the Hulfish Street Garage’s Chambers Street entrance, according to the Princeton Police Department.
A police officer on patrol noticed a large amount of smoke coming from inside the Dumpster, which is owned by Waste Management, at 3:42 p.m.
The Princeton Fire Department was called, and quickly extinguished the fire, police said. There was no reported structural damage to the parking garage.
While firefighters were battling the fire, the Mediterra restaurant, the Farmhouse Store and the Princeton Corkscrew Wine Shop were evacuated. All were permitted back into their businesses at 5:15 p.m., police said.
A Hulfish Street garage employee complained of shortness of breath and was treated at the scene by the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad. He was not taken to the hospital. No other injuries were reported, police said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
