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