Fire destroys three-generation, two-story cabin in Talkeetna

TALKEETNA — At 8:35 p.m. on Sunday, a three-generational 30-foot by 60-foot, two-story cabin in Talkeetna became completely engulfed in flames and three generations of Alaskans lost everything the the fire. The home on Kalispell Drive in Talkeetna in the Sunshine community initially called the fire in Sunday evening. Firefighters ro Talkeetna, Caswell, Willow, Houston, and West Lakes responded to Talkeetna. By the time Houston Fire Chief Christian Hartley arrived, 100 percent of the structure was involved in the fire. A power line had fallen near the back corner of the house which prevented responders from being near the downed line until MEA responded.

“There’s nothing more important than safety,” said Hartley.

The building began to collapse in. West Lakes sent up a rescue truck able to refill the bottles used by the firefighters. More than 100 bottles were used that carry somewhere between 2,000 to 3,000 cubic centimeters of compressed air. Kalispell Drive is not close enough to downtown Talkeetna to have accessible hydrants, so crews had to make trips back and forth to the fill station at Su Valley Jr/Sr High for more water. Between 40,000 and 50,000 gallons of water were used to fight the fire, according to Hartley. More than 30 firefighters had to help respond to the blaze.

The fire was declared out after 2 a.m. on Monday morning. The last crew left well after 3 a.m. Thirteen residents inhabited the home — seven adults and six children. Two people were transported to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center for smoke inhalation after attempting to fight the fire before the first fire crews arrived.

The fire burned longer and hotter due to the log cabin construction. Seven classic Harley Davidson motorcycles were declared a complete loss in the fire.

“The logs retain heat. Once they get burning, they burn a lot longer and a lot hotter than a standard stick frame construction does,” said Hartley. “There is absolutely nothing more important, and that will save more people, than having working smoke alarms inside your house. It took me 47 minutes to get there from Houston; having working smoke alarms gives you that early notification to get out quicker.”

Hartley said that the cause of the fire is still uncertain and under investigation.