Accidental fire burns house on Hamilton St., injures 1

February 2, 2015 1:24am | By Katie Park and Vaishali Gauba

Photo by Michelle Klejmont | The Daily Targum Firefighters attempt to extinguish a fire that occurred at 175, Hamilton St. around 11 p.m. on Feb. 1.

Editor's Note: A previous version of this article inaccurately stated that the fire was caused by alcohol that was spilled by the house's occupants while they were consuming it. The fire was actually caused by spilled rubbing alcohol, not alcohol consumed by the house's occupants.

A fire erupted in a home on the 170 block of Hamilton Street at 11 p.m. Sunday night, and was ruled accidental by authorities the following Tuesday.

Seven occupants were reportedly in a three-story wood-paneled house at the time of the incident, and escaped the blaze before firefighters arrived at the scene, said Jennifer Bradshaw, spokesperson for the City of New Brunswick.

One occupant allegedly suffered second-degree burns, was taken to a hospital and has since been released, police said.

The fire was caused by a spilled bottle of rubbing alcohol, which ran underneath an oven, causing vapors to ignite and set fire to a nearby couch, NJ Advance Media reported. The fire spread throughout the home and destroyed it, Bradshaw said.

The New Brunswick and Edison Fire Departments, ambulances and police officers were on the scene, investigating the fire and prohibiting students from approaching any areas near the site of the fire.

After almost an hour into the fire, flames could still be seen from outside in all floors of the house. As firefighters tried to extinguish the fire, the roof of the house appeared severely burnt. Police also checked neighboring houses to ensure the fire had not spread.

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