Big Lake House fire injures 2 animals, kills 2

BIG LAKE — A fire Thursday night left two animals dead and two others with smoke inhalation injuries while damaging 30 percent or more of a home on Freeman Way off of Beaver Lake Road.

According to a West Lakes Fire Department press release, firefighters were dispatched at 6:30 p.m.

A neighbor, Elaine Burkhart, saw what she thought were flames through the window, walked over to get a better look and saw the house was on fire, the release says. She called 911, and she and a young man freed two dogs from a nearby storage shed and set about trying to figure out if anyone was home.

“It did not appear that there was. That’s when they heard animals inside and they began looking for a way to get them out,” according to the press release. “Mrs. Burkhart said, ‘The young man started to open the door to the house, but I told him not to do that.’ She said she had seen the movie ‘Backdraft’ and knew that if the door was opened it could make the fire much worse.”

When firefighters arrived, the entire east side of the 3,000-sqare-foot home was ablaze and flames were spreading from the eaves into the attic space.

Firefighters went inside and confirmed Burkhart’s suspicion that no one was home. They found two cats “with severe pulmonary edema.” Borough medics worked on the animals until they were well enough for their owners to transport them to a vet.

“Crews also found one more cat and two dogs in the structure and were able to get them out in relatively good condition, obviously shaken by the whole ordeal,” the release says. “Two cats and one dog died in the fire. The owners found one more cat alive on the property after the fire.”

The fire was under control by 7:45 p.m., and by the end drew in crews from Houston and Willow as well as Mat-Su Borough animal control employees and the state Fire Marshal’s Office.

“The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation; however, as temperatures begin to drop the use of heating lamps and alternative methods of heating become more prevalent, as well as the use of candles for light,” according to the press release, which went on to urge caution as the weather grows colder. “The Mat-Su Borough has experienced and increased number of fire fatalities over the past several years. Children fatalities have been especially high. Please be careful and responsible when using alternative heating and lighting devices.”