5 Alarm Fire Rips Through Abandoned School In Mercer County

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — A massive fire tore through an abandoned high school building in Trenton on Monday, authorities said.

A blaze ripped through the Martin Luther King Jr. School, formerly known as Junior School 1 on Monday afternoon. The current MLK school building was not impacted by the fire, the district said.

The Trenton Fire Department was called to the intersection of Southard Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd around 2:30 p.m.

The school first opened in 196 and served the community for 90 years until its closure in 2007.

Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora said there were plans to convert the building into senior housing and community space.

“It remains to be seen if that can now still happen,” Gusciora said on Facebook.

“We are thankful for quick response by Trenton FD and five surrounding communities that responded to the call.”

The fire had caused some debris and embers to fall on neighboring homes, but there were no significant damage reported to these homes.

Investigators have not said what caused the blaze.

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