At 2:51am this morning a caller phoned 911 to report flames coming from the computer room on the first floor of a single family residence in the area of Ocean View and Bounty Dr.  A total of 12 Anchorage Fire Department units responded and the fire was under control within 30 minutes.  The first unit observed smoke coming from the structure with a report that occupants had evacuated and 3 animals were still inside.  Firefighters worked quickly to establish attack lines.  It was reported that the fire originated in the basement, vented out a first floor window up to a second floor window in which the second floor bedroom was charred.  There was smoke and heat damage throughout the residence.  There were no injuries and all of the animals were rescued.  The cause of fire in under investigation and damage is estimated at approximately $50,000.  Red Cross provided assistance to the family of four. 

Child Dies in Trailer Fire

7227 Bern Street

Janurary 30th 2008

For More Information Please Contact:

Tom Kempton 907-317-7233

At 5:30 PM units of the Anchorage Fire Department responded to a reported fire in a mobile home at 7227 Bern Street, in South Anchorage.  First arriving units reported that the structure was fully involved in flames, occupants that had escaped reported that a child was unaccounted for and might still be inside the structure. It was reported that this was the home of a large extended family and that the grandparents were caring for the children.  The grandfather reported that there was a fire on a mattress in the center of a back bedroom where the children were playing.  He attempted to extinguish the fire but was unsuccessful.  One of the teenagers in the family made his escape from the bedroom that was in flames by breaking an exterior window.  He reportedly was able to rescue at least one of the younger children although he was injured in making his escape.  He was transported to a local hospital suffering from lacerations to his hands and arms.

Firefighters attempted to enter the back bedroom to search for the missing child but were driven back by heavy fire conditions.  The fire collapsed the roof over the structure and after the fire was knocked down firefighters were able to locate the body of the young child that had perished in the flames. Over 15 pieces of fire apparatus responded to this fire.  The Alaska Chapter of the American Red Cross is providing assistance to the displaced family members.   The mobile home is a total loss.  The cause of the fire is under investigation. 

Adults present in the home at the time of the fire stated that they had smoke detectors in the home but they did not hear them sounding during the fire.  Residents are reminded that smoke detectors give you and your family time to escape in the earliest stages of a fire when there still is time to evacuate.  Please check your smoke detectors for proper working operation and change the batteries at least annually.

Four people escaped from a mobile home fire early this afternoon.  The four were friends of the tenant living in a mobile home in the Glacier Terrace Mobile Home Park,  when the home caught fire.  Neighbors assisted the four from the home and called 911 to report the fire.  13 units from the Anchorage Fire Department responded and the fire was quickly extinguished.  Three of the four people staying at the trailer were transported to local hospitals for treatment, and the fourth person was treated at the scene.  At least one of the occupants escaped the flames by climbing out of a bedroom window, breaking through the glass. 

The mobile home is considered a total loss, estimated at approximately $30,000.00.  The tenant of the home, who was at work when the fire started, stated that the detectors had not been working. 

The Anchorage Fire Department is continuing to investigate the cause of this fire.  No determination has been made at this time. 

Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are valuable life saving devices that are very low cost.  Alaska State law requires all residential property to have smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors supplied by the landlords.  Tenants are required by the same state law to maintain those detectors and alarms.  It is the tenant's responsibility to replace the batteries and notify the landlord if the detectors or alarms are not working.  A simple $10 smoke alarm can make the difference between life and death, injury or safety. 

At approximately 1020 AM today, the Anchorage Fire Department received a 911 call from a passerby who reported smoke coming from a home on Crawford Street in the Jewel Lake area of Anchorage.  The caller did not know if all occupants of the home has escaped or not.

Ten fire units responded,  with the Jewel Lake station arriving within 5 minutes.  They reported heavy smoke and fire from the attic area of the home. 

After doing a primary search the home, it was determined that no one was inside.  The fire was called under control at 1050 AM and the damage was limited to the kitchen, living room and attic.  It's estimated at $50,000 damage to the home. 

The occupant of the home later stated that she had been cooking prior to leaving the house, and she stated that she had removed the food from the stove, but is unsure if she turned the stove off.  The origin and cause investigation revealed that the fire stated from the kitchen stove area. 

The American Red Cross is assiting the occupants of the home.