2 found dead in Palmer house fire

PALMER — Emergency responders found two bodies together in a back bedroom Saturday afternoon while responding to a fire, authorities said.

Police and firefighters responded to a fire at 1036 S Ronda Way in Palmer about noon Saturday, authorities said. Police attempted entry, then paged firefighters out to the scene, who discovered the bodies, said Palmer Fire and Rescue assistant chief Todd Russell, who was on scene.

Police have no reason to suspect foul play or arson, said Palmer Police Department Commander Lance Ketterling. The department is also not identifying the victims, Ketterling said.

“We have been able to identify them with 100 percent certainty,” he said.

Police would likely release the names of the victims once a positive identification had been made, Ketterling said.

The house’s owners are listed as Clyde and Arvette Loucks, according to Mat-Su Borough property listings. A woman identifying herself as the couple’s daughter posted a brief memorial message to the couple on Facebook, as well as a link to a news item about the fire, and several pictures of a happy-looking elderly couple, though it wasn’t immediately clear if the fire victims and the Loucks were the same people.

Messaged inquiries to the Elli Loucks’ account went unreturned Monday afternoon.

Firefighters discovered the bodies in the same room where the fire started, according to Russell. While portions of the building remained standing Sunday and Monday, the building was essentially gutted, Russell said.

“The whole (building) did not burn,” he said. “The owners boarded it up. I’m going to call it a complete loss.”

Firefighters aren’t sure how the fire started, Russell said.

The Alaska State Fire Marshal’s Office were assisting Palmer Police in investigating the fire, which is standard practice in the event of fires resulting in fatality, injury, major property damage, or suspected arson according to the marshals’ spokeswoman Megan Peters.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269 or brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com.