Fire destroys house in Willow

WILLOW -- Fire destroyed a house on Linda Lane early Sunday morning but firefighters were able to prevent the blaze from spreading to a nearby residence. Neither the sole occupant, whose name was not released, nor firefighters were injured.

Willow Volunteer Fire Department responded at 3:40 a.m. to a report of a basement fire. Flames quickly spread to the rest of the house and had engulfed the structure when firefighters arrived.

The 700-square-foot residence collapsed on itself but firefighters prevented the blaze from reaching an 800-square-foot garage. They set up an outside fire line and later moved inside the garage to attack the fire, Willow department spokesman Christian Hartley said.

Firefighters also prevented flames from reaching nearby black spruce and possibly traveling toward another residence.

"The person who lived uphill was worried," Hartley said. "If it had been summer we'd have had two fires."

Willow Volunteer Fire Department provided an engine and tanker. A tanker company from the city of Houston also responded, as did personnel and tankers from Big Lake and Meadow Lakes fire departments.

Additional personnel from Central Mat-Su Fire Department also responded at the request of Willow fire commanders.

No dollar damage estimate was available for the residence, which was a total loss.

The State Fire Marshal's office and Alaska State Troopers are investigating the fire's cause, Hartley said.