Fires damage 2 Wasilla homes

WASILLA -- Two homes in the Wasilla area sustained considerable damage in separate fires this week.

Firefighters from the Central Mat-Su Fire Department responded to 1160 Iroquois at 6:20 p.m. Monday after fire broke out on a back deck.

"When we got there a quarter of the back wall was on fire and it was running up to the roof," said Fire Chief Jack Krill Jr. "It got into the attic space."

The house's cathedral ceilings complicated firefighters' task of pulling drywall off the ceiling.

"It was very intense," Krill said. "It was hard to see the ceiling because of the smoke above us."

Once firefighters cut some holes in the roof to vent the fire they were able to begin controlling the blaze. Krill estimated that 75 percent of the home's contents were saved despite the impressive flames.

"The glow lit up the whole yard," said Bob Martinson, a neighbor. "The house was fully engulfed with flames coming out of peaks on both sides" of the roof.

Central's initial response included two engines, three tankers, an ambulance and three chiefs. Meadow Lakes Fire Department later responded with a tanker and five firefighters while Palmer Fire Department arrived with a tanker and two firefighters. Two more tankers were required from Central, bringing the total to seven.

Firefighters made trips to Cottonwood Creek Mall to refill the tankers with water from a hydrant. He added that the fire was "personnel intensive," involving 35 people instead of the normal 20 to 25.

Homeowner Emmit Heidemann, a 25-year Department of Corrections employee, left the house about 40 minutes before the fire was reported, Krill said. Although it's clear the fire began on the back side of the house, its cause is still under investigation.

"There's an electrical outlet back there that we're considering," Krill said.

He said nothing appeared suspicious, although investigators always consider that possibility.

At 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, Central Mat-Su firefighters responded to a blaze at a residence near Seldon and Lucille. Krill said a four-wheeler parked three feet from a garage door somehow ignited and the fuel tank started the structure fire.

Krill said the garage contained a lot of flammable liquids, which also caught fire. The fire soon spread to a cedar deck on the second floor, immediately above the four-wheeler.

Firefighters arrived within five minutes of the alarm to bring the blaze under control.

Contact Steve Kadel at steve.kadel@frontiersman.com.