Rutgers dorm grease fire displaces 26 students

NEW BRUNSWICK — A grease fire in a dorm kitchen displaced over a dozen Rutgers students on Sunday.

The fire in the Sojourner Truth Apartments, located in "The Yard," broke out around 3 p.m. in an upper level apartment, Rutgers spokesman Neal Buccino said in a statement.

The Daily Targum student newspaper reported the fire was on the 12th floor of the 14-story building. Water from the sprinkler system reached the lower floors that opened in 2016. The building can accommodate 442 students, according to Buccino.

Twenty-six students were moved to temporary housing while cleanup and investigation of the fire continued, according to Buccino, The entire building was evacuated.

According to the Rutgers website, the building is named after abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth. She is a former slave who was owned as a young girl by the family of Rutgers’ first president, Jacob Hardenbergh.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.