Fire Destroys Muldoon Home

A late afternoon fire destroyed a Muldoon home the day before Christmas.  It doesn’t appear that anyone was home when the fire was discovered by neighbors who called 911 and reported flames visible from the structure.  11 units with the Anchorage Fire Department were dispatched and the first arriving engine company minutes later called a working fire.  The home was described as a one story single family modular type home with an attached garage and was 70% involved.  First arriving crews initially began an exterior attack due to the fire venting from the structure, and shortly thereafter began offensive operations with an interior attack.  The fire had spread throughout the home and into the garage area requiring several crews to suppress the flames.  Additional crews were needed to protect exposures to the rear of the home and prevented the fire from spreading to these structures. The fire was reported under control about 40 minutes after the initial call.  Fire crews remained on location for several hours conducting overhaul operations extinguishing hot spots and salvage detail.  An investigation revealed the fire started in the kitchen area and was likely caused by unattended cooking.  About 80% of the home suffered extensive fire damage causing over $100,000 in loss to the structure and another estimated $20,000 loss to contents.  The homeowners were out of town when the blaze occurred and the person caring for the home has other accommodations.   Many kitchen fires have a common theme in that their origin is traced back to unattended cooking.  The fire department emphasizes these fires are preventable and to have an appropriately rated fire extinguisher in the kitchen area.  Homeowners are encouraged to contact civilian fire protection agencies listed in the yellow pages to purchase fire extinguishers and have those currently owned serviced.