Multiple fire departments respond to the 700 block of North Division Street in Harvard after a fire broke out in the kitchen of a house, leaving multiple residents displaced. | Photo: HFPD

Three people and three dogs were left homeless after a fire broke out and caused significant damage to a house in Harvard, prompting a large fire department response Tuesday evening.

The Harvard Fire Protection District and Harvard Police Department responded around 6:49 p.m. Tuesday to the 700 block of North Division Street for a report of a structure fire.

Harvard Fire Protection District Public Information Officer Alex Vucha said firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke showing from a single-story residence.

All three occupants and three dogs safely escaped the home without injury prior to the fire department arriving.

The residents had been alerted to the fire by working smoke detectors, Vucha said.

Firefighters entered the residence and encountered dense smoke throughout with heavy fire in the kitchen.

Vucha said it was unknown initially the extent of the fire and the possibility that it had extended beyond the kitchen.

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Multiple fire departments respond to the 700 block of North Division Street in Harvard after a fire broke out in the kitchen of a house, leaving multiple residents displaced. | Photo: HFPD

The incident was upgraded through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) to bring additional personnel and equipment to the scene.

Firefighters quickly advanced hose lines and extinguished the bulk of the fire within approximately 15 minutes, Vucha said.

Crews later conducted overhaul operations by removing sections of drywall to confirm the fire had not extended into the walls or other concealed spaces.

The fire damage was confined to the kitchen but heavy smoke affected the remainder of the home.

Vucha said the residence was deemed uninhabitable until repairs can be completed. The American Red Cross is assisting the three adults and their dogs who were displaced.

Route 14 was shut down in both directions between Burbank Street and Blackman Street during the incident.

The Harvard Fire Protection District said they appreciate the assistance provided by the responding mutual aid fire departments, as well as the Harvard Police Department and the dispatchers, for “their professionalism and teamwork throughout the incident.”

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The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Harvard Fire Protection District.