Early morning house fire claims Wasilla boy

WASILLA — An early-morning fire at a home on Heather Way claimed the life of a 6-year-old boy Wednesday.

According to a press statement from Alaska State Troopers, the fire was reported just after 5 a.m. in the neighborhoods off of Schrock Road a few miles north of downtown Wasilla.

Steve Barenburg, assistant chief with the West Lakes Fire Department, was in charge of the response on scene.

“When we arrived we were originally told that there could be four people inside,” he said. “I turned out there were only two — the grandmother and grandson.”

Central Mat-Su Fire Chief James Steele, who arrived on scene later into the call, said that responders from his department were the first to arrive — Heather Way is just a few miles from Central's big downtown station. Those responders were told a neighbor had pulled the grandmother — Zina J. Joseph, 53, of Wasilla — from the fire. Joseph didn't want to leave and firefighters pulled her out of the home's entryway and got her into an ambulance to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Barenburg said that Joseph told firefighters there were still two people inside. So firefighters went into the building.

“We took a hose line in, went downstairs and made our way to the back bedrooms, fighting fires along the way,” he said.

In one bedroom they found the body of an animal. In another they found the boy, identified later as Hayden Martin, 6, of Wasilla. The boy was rushed out to medics.

“There was nothing that they could do,” Steele said. “Anytime a child is hurt or injured, it’s really horrible.”

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.