Fire destroys half of Wasilla home

WASILLA — A fire off of Seldon Road Monday afternoon consumed more than half of a W. Sarah’s Way home before firefighters were able to put it out.

“Probably, I’m guessing, about 50 percent to 60 percent of it has got direct fire damage,” said Central Mat-Su Fire Chief James Steele.

He said the fire — at a single-family home in the neighborhoods south of Seldon near its intersection with Lucille Street — was reported at about 2 p.m., Oct. 28. Interviewed by phone around 5 p.m., Monday, Chief Steele said the last of his trucks was headed back to the station following mop up at the scene.

The first firefighter on scene reported seeing flames coming out the front door and the front windows. Steele said just one person had been inside and she had made it out.

“I heard on the (emergency band) radio there was a lady present that was there on scene and she was taken to the hospital by a friend after our first units got there,” the chief said. “It seemed like just minor injuries, that’s all that we knew because she left the scene.”

The fire was actually not in Central Mat-Su’s service area. It’s technically in West Lakes’ coverage area, and that department also responded with equipment and firefighters. But the two departments have automatic mutual aide agreements and the Central trucks at Station 6-1 on Lucille Street were the closest available, so that department took the lead.

Steele said the effort started out defensive — with firefighters shooting water on the flames from outside the home — but firefighters took the offensive after flames were knocked down. They had to fight it from the back of the house, though.

“The floor was burnt out in the front,” Steele said.

The home in question is 1,292 square feet in size, including its attached garage, and was appraised, including the land, at $139,100 this year, according to Mat-Su Borough property records.