Families escape early morning fire

WASILLA — As many as three families escaped an early morning fire in a four-plex off Bogard Road Sunday, authorities said.

The fire, initially reported in one unit, affected one or two units in the four-plex. At least one of the units in the four-plex was vacant. But as many as three families were sheltering with local outreach organizations as a result of the fire, according to Central Mat-Su Fire Chief James Steele.

The fire struck in the Alaska Wilderness Estates complex near the intersection of Beaver Avenue and Moose Street about 12:30 a.m., June 28. As many as five cars parked near the garage where the fire started also were destroyed, Steele said.

“They were so close or right up against it that the heat (from the fire) caught them on fire,” he said.

Exact information about the fire wasn’t immediately available from the borough’s emergency responder database, which was suffering a day-long outage Monday, according to borough officials.

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