Woodbridge Center Mall Evacuated Due To Small Fire

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A small electrical fire in the elevator control room caused an evacuation at the Woodbridge Center mall on Wednesday, New Year's Day, according to a Woodbridge police spokesman and the mall manager.

The fire broke out at about 11 a.m. on New Year's Day and the entire mall was evacuated as a precaution, mostly due to smoke, said Amy Bellisano, the manager for Woodbridge Center.

The fire started after a passenger elevator in the J.C. Penney wing malfunctioned, and two housekeeping employees were briefly trapped in the elevator when it stalled, she said. The women were rescued after only a few minutes, according to Bellisano.

This occurred in the passenger elevator near the Haagen Daz.

The mall resumed normal operations by 12:30 p.m. New Year's Day.