5 children killed in Butte mobile home fire

BUTTE — A Thursday morning fire in Butte claimed the lives of five children.

According to Alaska State Trooper (AST) dispatch, troopers and the Alaska Fire Marshal’s Office were notified of a trailer fire on Wickham Drive off Marth Road just north of Bodenburg Loop just before 7 a.m. The residence is one of several in a small trailer court about a quarter-mile from Butte Fire Department.

According to officials, the remains of five children were found inside gutted trailer. First reports stated that three people were confirmed dead from the blaze with two unaccounted for. Troopers said efforts were underway to account for the missing persons. Shortly after 10 a.m., AST spokesperson Megan Peters posted that the bodies of five children, believed to be all female and ranging in age from 3 to 12, were recovered.

Peters said the remains were to be transported to the State Medical Examiner’s office for autopsy and positive identification.

As of late-morning Thursday, troopers and borough emergency officials remained at the scene. The fire’s cause remains under investigation, Peters stated. Scanner traffic at the time of the blaze indicated the structure was fully engulfed when responders arrived. One adult female at the scene reportedly was noticeably distraught with responding personnel called over the scanner to assist her.

Mat-Su Borough Deputy Director of Emergency Services Ken Barkley could not be reached for comment prior to deadline. It has been reported approximately 20 firefighters from various departments responded to the scene. Firefighters from Butte and Mat-Su Central departments, and Palmer Fire and Rescue responded as did the American Red Cross of Alaska.

“I don’t know when an update will be,” said Peters late Thursday. “Probably not until we have positive IDs on the victims. Besides the on scene investigation, a lot of interviews are occurring. At this point, as far as we know it is a horrible tragedy. You don’t have to have kids for this to break your heart. I was on scene today and you could tell just by looking at the firefighters and the troopers how hard this hit them. It is a pretty big loss for the community as a whole.”

Peters said in the aftermath of such a tragedy, now is a good time to remind people to check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they work and the batteries are good.

“It is also a good time of year to have heating systems serviced to make sure there are no problems with them. Keep flammable items away for heat sources like space heaters or fire places,” Peters said, adding parents should take the time to talk with their children about what to do in the event of a fire.

“Make sure kids have a plan, like get out of the house and go to a specific spot or neighbor’s house,” she said.

Although officials don’t know what factors were involved with this fire, Peters said … “these are just general fire safety tips.”

Contact reporter Chris Ford at 352-2270 or chris.ford@frontiersman.com