Merion Fire Company volunteers traced smoke inside a building at 429 W. Montgomery Ave. in Ardmore to a malfunctioning light ballast in the basement early Tuesday, Aug. 18, marking the third fire-company response in the neighborhood in roughly 48 hours.

Station 25 crews arrived at 1:26 a.m. after a reported fire alarm, according to an incident alert posted on the fire company's website. Firefighters located smoke in the basement, secured the faulty equipment and checked the surrounding area for any fire extension before confirming the building was safe.

No active fire was found. No injuries were reported. Crews returned to service.

Graham Fuller, who authored the fire company's incident report, wrote that the company's volunteers were ready to respond when the community called, even in the early morning hours. The post did not identify the building type at 429 W. Montgomery Ave. or indicate whether any follow-up inspection of the ballast was planned.

Third Ardmore call in two days

The 1:26 a.m. alarm came less than two days after two other Ardmore responses by the same volunteer company. On Sunday, Aug. 16, Station 25 responded to a fire alarm at 49 Anderson Ave. in Suburban Square and found no emergency, as we reported that day. On Monday, Aug. 17, crews responded to 225 Cobblestone Drive, where heavily burned food inside an apartment had filled a first-floor hallway with smoke, as we reported Monday.

Neither call produced a confirmed fire or injuries.

The Suburban Square alarm was itself the fourth call to Ardmore's commercial district since early July. None of those four calls resulted in a confirmed fire.

All three responses were handled by the Merion Fire Company of Ardmore, a volunteer company that operates as Station 25 within Lower Merion Township's fire system. The cluster of calls has kept the company busy during a week when temperatures have pushed past 90 degrees and commercial corridors see heavy foot traffic.

Residents who notice smoke, a burning smell or a malfunctioning electrical fixture can call 911 or reach the Lower Merion Township non-emergency line at 610-649-1000 to report a concern.