The house was empty at the time it caught fire around 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon
EWING -- Firefighters battled a three-alarm blaze in a residential home that neighbors say has housed local college students for years.
Firefighters were called to the fire in the 1100 block of Lower Ferry Road at about 1 p.m. Saturday.
No one was in the home at the time, West Trenton Fire Chief Ralf Brandmaier said at the scene.
Firefighters had the fire under control at about 3 p.m.
Neighbors said the house has long been home to students from The College of New Jersey nearby, like many houses in the area.
"They're really good kids," neighbor Halbert Clark said. He said there were only four to six students last living in the house.
Clark said the house was under construction recently before the fire broke out.
Fire rips through building, 1 injured
Other neighbors said no students were living in the home at the time of the fire.
Firefighters had not determined Saturday what caused the fire or where in the house it started.
Numerous fire companies were still on scene at 3 p.m. Saturday.
For many neighbors, who are used to quiet in the neighborhood, the significant flames came as a shock.
"Everybody found out after the fact...everyone was out running errands," neighbor Erica Kravitz said.
She added that she arrived home to find trucks blocking off her road and smoke billowing from a house down the street.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman