A Sunday morning blaze in Twin Rivers’ Village East Apartments left over 50 people without a place to live.
By: Chris Karmiol
EAST WINDSOR More than 50 people were left homeless when a fire gutted eight apartments in Twin Rivers Sunday morning.
No residents of the Village East Apartment complex were injured in the fire. A firefighter from Cranbury suffered a broken wrist, while another firefighter from West Windsor suffered minor bumps and bruises, according to Carl Dye Jr., chief of the East Windsor Volunteer Fire Company No. 2. Two cats were rescued from the apartments.
According to the East Windsor Police Department, the fire was reported at 1:08 a.m. Sunday. The fire was under way at the F building of the Village East Apartments and, according to Chief Dye, was "fast moving and stubborn."
"When I got on the scene it was a fully involved fire coming out of the windows," Chief Dye said. "Within minutes the fire was coming out of the roof."
Chief Dye said that it was the most intense fire he had seen in about two years. Within minutes of dispatch he called three alarms for a total of 12 responding fire departments.
"There were about 80 firefighters on the scene," the chief said. He added the police did an excellent job of evacuation.
"They were there quick and got that building evacuated quickly," Chief Dye said. "I’d give credit to the Police Department. You couldn’t have asked for a job better done."
A spokesperson for the Red Cross said the agency paid for those displaced by the fire to stay at local hotels for three days after the blaze.
East Windsor police and the Mercer County prosecutor’s office are investigating the as-yet-undetermined cause of the fire.