Home burns on; teenagers, animals safe

WASILLA — A three-story home burned nearly to the ground Wednesday on Point MacKenzie Road.

Central Mat-Su Fire Chief James Steele said the pager went out to respond to the fire at about 5:45 p.m. The home was at about Mile 1.5.

“The story that we got was that a couple of the children, teenagers, were cooking french fries on the stovetop on the range,” Steele said. “A grease fire ensued and then that spread to the rest of the kitchen area, the cabinets and all.”

He said everyone made it out OK but then someone ran back in.

“They had exited the building but then ran back in to get their animals, their dogs and actually saved the dogs,” Steele said. That’s something that he doesn’t recommend and he said the person who ran back in was informed of how lucky she was to get back out alive.

Steele said when firefighters arrived the top two stories of the home were fully involved. The bottom story — a semi-basement level with a garage — may be salvageable, he said, but had heavy water damage. He said there was probably three inches of standing water down there, flowing out the back of the home.

Steele said they were never wanting for water on the fire — despite using multiple high-volume hoses — since they were able to pull from nearby Goose Creek.

He estimated the home was about 75 to 80 percent lost and that damage likely totaled more than $300,000. Whether that constitutes a total loss or the home will be rebuilt on its foundation is a determination up to the insurance company.

The homeowner, Henry Bendt, according to borough property records, told Steele they’d just moved into the home in November.

“From some other information we got I think that home was actually built a year and a half ago,” Steele said. He described it as a, “relatively new home. Beautiful view out to the south side.”

He said crews were able to save a few of the family’s belongings and a vehicle they had parked in the garage. They had to save it where it stood — the keys were upstairs, but they managed to keep the fire from getting to it.

There was also a large motor home in the backyard threatened by the fire and a crew-cab truck, both of which emerged intact.

And the surrounding trees escaped relatively unharmed as well, though it was touch-and-go for awhile. The first crew to arrive on scene helped keep the fire from spreading to the yard.

“We did have some spotting on the other side of the road,” Steele said, estimating the spot fires were about 150 to 250 feet from the burning home.

But, he said, by then the state’s Division of Forestry had arrived with two crews and were able to put it out quickly.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.