Anchorage firefighters responded to three separate fires across the municipality within a two-hour period on Wednesday night.
Assistant Fire Chief Alex Boyd said the first fire happened just before 10 p.m. at an apartment building on 30th Avenue between Spenard Road and Arctic Boulevard. The fire displaced 40 people, and resulted in one person being hospitalized.
“The fire was caused by improperly used smoking material,” Boyd said. “The material ignited other things in the apartment, which rapidly spread.”
About five minutes after responders arrived at the apartment fire, a vehicle caught fire inside of a car wash near Old Seward Highway and Tudor Road and spread to the rest of the building. Boyd said the vehicle was the source of the fire. Firefighters cut down doors to rescue two people inside the building, who were also taken to the hospital.
About an hour later, a third fire popped up at a vacant Downtown home near 7th Ave and Fairbanks Street. Boyd said investigators believe a nearby fire that was lit for warmth ignited a larger blaze.
All three fires were successfully put out.
Boyd said having three fires all happening in such close proximity almost pushed the department to its limit.
“That’s about our maximum capability, is three working incidents at once,” Boyd said. “At that point we have to start calling resources from off-duty to come in.”
Boyd reminded residents to ensure their buildings have working smoke detectors and a clear emergency exit path. As for the car wash fire, he said residents should regularly maintain their vehicles to prevent similar incidents.
