No one was seriously injured in a house fire in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Anchorage on Friday, but a plume of thick, black smoke was visible for much of the Midtown area.
Anchorage Fire Department Assistant Chief Alex Boyd says the fire broke out shortly before noon and only one minor injury was reported, but that person declined to be taken to the hospital.
They had heavy smoke and fire showing in the garage,” Boyd said. “At the time of arrival, it was extending up into the second floor and adjacent units.”
Thomas Tallant lives near the house that caught fire. He says he believes the homeowner was not in the building, but was trying to reach him by phone Friday afternoon.
“When I first saw the fire, it was burning, the house was burning completely and I came around this big snow pile, and there were explosions from the house,” Tallant said. “I’ve lived here almost seven years and there’s never been a fire here that I know of, certainly not a fire like this where it completely engulfs a unit and comes close to engulfing a whole group of units, which this could have done very easily.”
Boyd says two of the units in the building on Sorbus Way suffered damage.
“It’s a good reminder that working smoke alarms and having a solid evacuation plan can help ensure that folks are getting out in time without injury,” Boyd said.
AFD responded with a total of 18 units after the first truck to arrive on scene requested additional help.
Tim Rockey is the producer of Alaska News Nightly and covers education for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at trockey@alaskapublic.org or 907-550-8487. Read more about Tim here.
