Squatter's Fire Damages Building in Bala Cynwyd, Fire Chief Says

A fire apparently started by a homeless person to keep warm went out of control Wednesday evening and damaged the abandoned Georgia Pacific building in Bala Cynwyd, Fire Chief Charles McGarvey said.

Several fire companies got the call about 8:15 p.m., when someone across the Schuylkill River from the 620 Righters Ferry Road structure saw flames on the second floor. The fire was put under control before 9 p.m.

No one is believed to have been injured, McGarvey said. In fact, though evidence suggested people were living in the building, firefighters and police found no occupants in or around it.

Determining the extent of the fire's damage was difficult, the chief said, because "the building's in bad shape as it is."

Editor's note: A previous version of this article incorrectly characterized the building's previous use.