A city building in the lower Yukon River community of Mountain Village that partially burned in October has burned down completely in a second fire, according to Alaska State Troopers.
Troopers said by email that they responded to the community after receiving reports that the city building had burned down at some point on Nov. 27. They determined the building to be a complete loss, and said that no injuries were reported from the incident.
The fire comes after an initial blaze on Oct. 25 that resulted in the death of 39-year-old Mountain Village resident Lawrence Chiklak. Troopers said that the fire was likely started with a lighter from within a holding cell at the jail attached to the city building.
According to a city employee, the building had been emptied of its contents following the October jail fire because the entire city building sustained severe smoke damage. The city is currently being administered out of a temporary building elsewhere in the community.
Alaska State Troopers said that the origin and cause of the fire have not been determined, and that they are continuing to investigate the incident.