A fire tore through a Muldoon four-plex early Saturday, killing two people and sending several others to local hospitals, according to the Anchorage Fire Department.
Crews were called to the 7200 block of East 21st Avenue, shortly after 4 a.m. Saturday, according to a statement from the fire department. The first of 18 fire units sent to the scene arrived five minutes after it was reported, finding the building “heavily involved in fire with one living unit nearly completely involved,” the statement said.
Crews attacked the blaze, searched inside and found two people just before part of the roof collapsed, the statement said.
One person was found dead at the fire, the statement said, and another was taken to a local hospital and died there. One person suffered serious injuries, with four others who escaped the building also taken to hospitals for evaluation.
Assistant Fire Chief Alex Boyd said Monday that the deceased haven’t yet been named, with their families being notified over the weekend. One factor in the fatal fire, he said, was that the main route to all four apartments was engulfed in flames.
“The fire did involve the common hallway space for the units,” Boyd said. “And so some folks were challenged to get out of the house to their routine entry and exit ways, which would be their main entry door to the apartment.”
Firefighters believe at least two residents of downstairs, half-basement units ran through the hallway to escape the fire, rather than using windows, Boyd said.
Fire investigators will be at the scene this week to learn more about the exact origin and cause of the fire. Some questions remain about what happened, but Boyd said foul play is unlikely.
“Preliminary indications, at this point, are that it’s an accidental fire that started on the interior of the building,” he said.
Some smoke alarms in the four-plex were not working at the time of the fire, Boyd said. He declined to say whether they were in common areas maintained by the landlord or in individual apartments maintained by residents.
Saturday’s deaths mark Anchorage’s 10th and 11th fire fatalities of 2023, during what Boyd said has been an above-average year. He urged residents to consider alternate escape plans from fires, with half of this year’s deaths taking place in non-residential buildings or non-traditional living spaces.
The entire building is uninhabitable due to fire and water damage, Boyd said, with insurers likely to declare it a total loss rather than bear the cost of repairs.
Chris Klint is a web producer and breaking news reporter at Alaska Public Media. Reach him at cklint@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Chris here.
