Crews Contain Penn Valley House Fire

Fire crews responded to a house fire on Willow Way in Penn Valley shortly after 1:30 p.m. today.

No one was injured. Resident Diana Chang, 29, was in the home at the time of the fire and was able to get out safely. She was soon joined by husband Brian Chang, 30, who works nearby in Bala Cynwyd.

Union, Narberth and Belmont Hills fire companies were on scene at the two-story stone and stucco home with a steeply pitched back roof to contain the attic blaze. A half dozen fire trucks and other emergency vehicles filled the small street.

Diana Chang said she was unaware there was a fire in her house until a local police officer knocked on her door. She believes the fire started in the attic, possibly caused by a defective attic fan.

"That's what I'm guessing," she said. She also said they recently had new insulation blown into their attic roofing, another possible cause. The exact cause of the fire was still being investigated late Thursday afternoon. 

Fire Chief Jim Hornung, of the all-volunteer Union Fire Co., said the blaze was fairly typical for an attic fire but strong enough to necessitate cutting through the roof with a chainsaw and other equipment, where the front and back roof lines meet.

Meanwhile, after discussing the fire with a Lower Merion fire marshal, the Changs were cautiously optimistic that they would be back in their home at some point today.

Most of the trucks and firefighters had left the scene by 3 p.m.