French fries cause fire at N.B. apartment complex
BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer

STEVEN M. BARON North Brunswick firefighters quickly extinguished an apartment fire in building 7 of the Stratford Arms apartment complex on Livingston Avenue and How Lane on Saturday.

NORTH BRUNSWICK - French fries left in a pot of cooking oil are the apparent cause of a fire at the Stratford Arms apartment complex on Saturday.

At approximately 3:43 p.m., police officers responded to Apartment 7 of 1151 Livingston Ave. and noticed smoke coming from the apartment, according to North Brunswick Police Lt. Keith Buckley. Residents were evacuating due to the activated smoke alarms, and police attempted to evacuate the remaining residents.

Firefighters arrived and worked with police to make sure there were no occupants left inside the building. The fire was contained a short time later, Buckley said.

The resident told investigators that french fries were left unattended and the pot caught fire. The resident threw water on the pot, which caused the fire to spread, Buckley said.

There were no injuries, and the damage was centralized to the one apartment, according to Buckley.