Cause of Wiggins Street fire still undetermined

The cause of a fire on Jan. 10 at 37 Wiggins St. that left three families homeless has not been determined, according to Michael Yeh, the director of Emergency Services.

The fire started in a void on the third floor and spread to the attic, Yeh said. Fire investigators have not been able to find the cause of the fire and classified it as
“undetermined,” he said, as of press time on Jan. 25.

The fire, which went to a second alarm, caused heavy fire damage to the third-floor condominium, as well as smoke and water damage. The condominiums on the first and second floors also suffered smoke and water damage.

Two residents in the third-floor condominium, the residents of the second floor condominium and the lone resident of the first-floor condominium have been displaced because of the fire, Yeh said.

A red sticker declaring the building to be uninhabitable was placed near the front door of the house by the Princeton Building and Construction Department.

Several windows in the third-floor condominium have been boarded up, and a hole in the roof where flames broke through has been covered up.

The fire reached two-alarm status because of the need for more firefighters.

The Princeton Fire Department, which was the first fire department on the scene, was assisted by firefighters from the Plainsboro Fire Company, the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Fire Department and the Princeton Junction Volunteer Fire Company.

The Kingston Volunteer Fire Company, the Rocky Hill Fire Department, the Kendall Park Volunteer Fire Company, Montgomery Township Volunteer Fire Company No. 2 and the Hamilton Township Fire Department also responded.