April 5, 2005

KATE GOLDEN/Frontiersman reporter

MEADOW LAKES - Two people lost everything Sunday night when their homestead cabin burned to the ground. George Groff cleaned out his wood stove. Thinking the ashes were cool, he transferred them to a plastic bucket, set it down on the wood floor, and went downstairs.

When he came back up, the house was on fire. He tried to quench the flames with a fire extinguisher, but the fire grew too fast.

Fire Chief Jack Krill Jr. said that by the time Meadow Lakes and Central Mat-Su firefighters arrived at 5051 West Sunrise Road around 8:30 p.m., George and Renee Groff's house had already succumbed to the fire. It was another half-hour before water touched the building - the narrow, three-quarter-mile-long driveway enabled the four-wheel-drive Meadow Lakes engine just to get close, and firefighters still laid 1,400 feet of hose in the response.

An hour later, the fire was under control. Krill said it was a good response given such difficult access.

While there are fire codes for driveways, Krill and Meadow Lakes Fire Chief Rocky Jones said they're not enforced in Alaska. It's up to homeowners to consider fire-truck access.

"Folks need to be aware of their driveways," Jones said.

Central Mat-Su Battalion Chief Kurt Gibbs led the response, which lasted until 1 or 2 a.m.

Jones sent more firefighters in the morning to put out "hot spots" underneath that were still burning. When an entire structure falls into a big pile, he said, it's not unusual that the initial onslaught of foam and water can't penetrate burning embers within. As the pile dries out, the inner fires start up again hours later.

The two-story, 30-by-30-foot cabin, which was built in 1954 and renovated 15 years ago, fell into the basement. Nothing was recovered, including the Groffs' eyeglasses and car keys, and the Groffs had no insurance.

Krill said the borough-assessed value of the property was $58,800 last year. He estimated the total damage at $100,000.

"They have nothing," said Tanya Larrabee-Boehm, Mat-Su branch manager of the American Red Cross. The agency has put up the Groffs in a motel for a few days and given them a food-and-clothing allowance.

Contact Kate Golden at 352-2284 or kate.golden@frontiersman.com.