Smoke billowed out from a building at West Main and North Bridge Streets in Somerville Tuesday afternoon after a fire apparently broke out in a restaurant.
The fire appeared to originate from the King Tut restaurant at 6 Main Street as several alarms sounded to respond to the fire around 2 p.m. Tuesday. Hillsborough Township, Country Hills, Martinsville and Finderne fire departments could be seen responding to the blaze as smoke billowed, most heavily from the rear of the building.
The Somerville Police Department posted a warning for the public to stay away from the area of West Main Street at 3:28 p.m. for an “active fire investigation.”
The area of Main Street and North Bridge Street in Somerville is a busy downtown area with restaurants, coffee shops and other local businesses. Just last weekend the area was the setting for the Tour of Somerville, the state’s largest professional bike race.
Somerville police declined to answer questions about the blaze Tuesday afternoon and referred questions to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, who local police said was leading the investigation.
Officials from the prosecutor’s office did not immediately return a message with questions about the incident Tuesday afternoon. The extent of damage and evacuations was unknown Tuesday. A spokesperson for the New Jersey region of the Red Cross did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A phone number listed for King Tut restaurant was not accepting messages Tuesday evening and an adjacent restaurant’s phone number was disconnected.
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Matthew Enuco may be reached at Menuco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Matt on X.
