Fire leaves woman in critical condition

WASILLA — A woman has been flown to Seattle after firefighters found her unconscious in a home on fire Monday evening.

Central Mat-Su Assistant Fire Chief Michael Keenan said a passerby spotted the fire inside the home on Melanie Avenue off Lucus Road. Firefighters and ambulance crews were paged about 6:45 p.m.

Keenan said his crew set to work, quickly knocking down the fire, which had burned through a portion of the first story of the log cabin-style home.

As that first crew set to work checking the second story, Keenan said, a second crew arrived and very quickly found the woman, about 10 feet from where the fire started.

“She was burned in addition to smoke inhalation,” and was in critical condition, Keenan said. “She has since been flown to Harborview [Medical Center],” in Seattle

Keenan said investigators are still looking into a cause for the blaze. He said it appears to have started on the first floor in the living room near a bed.

“It seemed to have smoldered for quite some time,” Keenan said.

He said the flames were small but the heat was intense. The home had smoke detectors, he said, but it’s unclear now if they worked.

“They weren’t operating when we got there but they were melted,” he said. “Both the first floor one and the second floor one were melted and on the ground.”