Fire alarm at Firestone, in photos

Around 3:22 p.m., the fire alarm in Firestone Library went off. Students were evacuated as three fire trucks arrived on the scene.

The cause of the alarm was a small mulch fire outside of the building, according to Princeton Fire Department Chief Adam Kooker. The smoke from the fire was sucked into the building, setting off the alarm.

“We got dispatched to a smoke condition at the Firestone library,” Kooker said in an interview with The Daily Princetonian. “The crews investigated it, and they found a small pile of mulch outside that had brought smoke into the building.”

Calvin Kenjiro Grover / The Daily Princetonian

Kooker confirmed that there was no damage in the building nor any injuries. He said the cause of the mulch fire is still under investigation.

Meanwhile, crowds of students displaced from studying gathered outside, watching the scene.

Eyewitnesses told the ‘Prince’ they saw fire crews entering the Cotsen Children’s Library with hoses and axes.

“The fire alarm went off and everyone inside slowly came out because everyone thought it was a drill,” Joe McLean ’27 told the ‘Prince.’ “Once we got out, everyone was right next to the entrance door … and then PSAFE and the fire department kept pushing us back, past the Chapel.”

“This is a pretty large building with a lot of occupancy, so there actually was more stuff coming,” Kooker said. “It’s a pretty significant number of trucks and people that we need to handle something like this to do it safely.”

The incident occured on the second day of Princeton Preview. Previewing students took interest but told the ‘Prince’ that it ultimately wouldn’t affect their decision.