Tuesday, January 20, 2015

FAMILY ESCAPES FIRE IN 2-STORY COMMERCIAL BUILDING IN DOWNTOWN WASILLA, ALASKA. THE FIRE STARTED IN THE SECOND FLOOR APARTMENT.







FAMILY ESCAPES FIRE IN 2-STORY COMMERCIAL BUILDING IN  DOWNTOWN WASILLA IN ALASKA.  THE FIRE STARTED IN THE SECOND FLOOR APARTMENT.







By Hope Miller 8:20 AM January 20, 2015 ANCHORAGE – 




A family was able to escape a large fire in a two-story commercial building in downtown Wasilla Tuesday morning, authorities say.




Crews from around the Mat-Su Borough responded to the fire on Wasilla-Fishhook Road near Nelson Avenue shortly before 5 a.m. The building contains Crescent Electric Supply Company, another shop and a nonprofit. There is also an apartment on the second floor, which is where the fire started, said James Steele, Wasilla Lakes fire chief.




Two adults and two children were inside the building when the fire started, but were able to escape unharmed, said Dennis Brodigan, director of the Mat-Su Borough Department of Emergency Services. The American Red Cross of Alaska says they are assisting a family of five that was displaced by the fire.




When crews initially arrived, the 100-by-200-foot metal building was about 25 percent involved and the roof had already caved in. Around noon, the Mat-Su Borough said the fire was under control, but that crews would remain on scene for about four to five hours.




Matanuska Electric Association had to shut down part of a line so crews could work the fire, the co-operative said in a Facebook post, resulting in a loss of power for roughly 200 customers. Area roads were also closed off, Brodigan said.




Because road access to the nearby Iditarod Elementary School was cut off, the Mat-Su Borough School District said school would be optional for the day with no attendance consequences. After-school activities were also cancelled.




In a Facebook post, the district wrote that some students were taken to Wasilla Middle School until the elementary school became safe and accessible again.




The building was home to Hope for Heroes, a nonprofit that “provides assistance and support to Military Families and our Troops during deployments, and throughout the year” along with the New Frontier Wrestling Alliance.