No One Injured in Bala Cynwyd House Fire

No one was injured in a large fire that hit a home on the 700 block of Harvard Road in Bala Cynwyd on Tuesday afternoon.

While fire personnel are still investigating the cause of the blaze, the homeowner told authorities that a self-cleaning oven was still on when he left the house about an hour before the fire started. 

According to Lower Merion Fire Chief Charles McGarvey, at 3:28 p.m., fire units were dispatched to the home. McGarvey said the home had "heavy smoke" showing and "heavy fire in the rear of the house" when they arrived.

"There was initially a report of an entrapment, but that turned out to be negative," the chief added. No one was home when the fire began.

McGarvey acknowledged his men did have a close brush with danger, as they were forced to evacuate the structure when the fire flashed over on them. No fire personnel were injured.

As of 4:30 p.m., the fire was under control, but the extent of the damage to the home was still not known.

"It's a heavy fire, so we take out time getting in there," McGarvey said.