Fire at Whitman Dining Hall prompts evacuation

A grill fire in the Whitman Dining Hall caused the evacuation of 250 people from the residential college at around 8 p.m. Tuesday, University Spokesperson Martin Mbugua said. No injuries were reported.

The fire was caused by grease on the dining hall's chicken and hamburger gas grill, Mbugua said.

The Department of Public Safety responded to a call reporting the fire at 7:47 p.m. Facilities Site Protection, the Borough police and the Princeton Fire Department also responded.

“Flames started on one of the stoves in the kitchen,” Adriana Estor ’12, who was working in the kitchen at the time, said of the incident. “The cooks were trying to put it out but couldn’t, and so they called the fire truck."

Jeanette Ferrara '15 estimated that the fire was two feet high on the grill and said the kitchen staff used two fire extinguishers in an unsuccessful attempt to put it out.

Fire crews extinguished the fire and cleared the residential area of the college for re-entry by 8:30 p.m.

William Mooney, assistant chief of the Princeton Fire Department, said at the scene that “our team helped put out the fire with an extinguisher, and there was a lot of smoke in the building which we had to push out."

Fire crews turned off the gas and ventilated the building, according to Borough police Lieutenant Sharon Papp. There was no visible damage to the area, she added.

After the fire was extinguished, a Borough health inspector examined the kitchen and dining hall and determined it was safe for serving food, except for the affected grill.

Dining Services personnel were allowed back into the dining hall after the health inspection concluded at 9 p.m. The dining hall will be back in operation for breakfast Wednesday morning.

Staff writer Carla Javier contributed reporting.