Firefighters

A Soldotna fire that destroyed a small two-story home Monday afternoon is under investigation, after a man was arrested when he walked up to the scene and claimed to have set the blaze. According to an incident report from Soldotna Central Emergency Services health and safety officer Brad Nelson, firefighters were dispatched at about 2:25 p.m. to a residence on the 44000 block of Sunrise Avenue which was discovered fully engulfed in flames. The structure, described as a 576-square-foot two-story home owned by Bryan Chapman, was extinguished in about 10 minutes using water and firefighting foam.

Alaska State Troopers are investigating a burglary that took place over the weekend at the Palmer headquarters of two state wildfire suppression crews. State Division of Forestry officials say personal items and state equipment were stolen, including computers and at least one vehicle. The building is a home base for the Pioneer Peak Hot Shots crew who are fighting Utah wildfires, and the Gannett Glacier crew who just returned from the fire lines in Fairbanks. "This is what they do- go fight fire.

The Alaska Division of Forestry sent one hundred Alaska firefighters to Utah on Wednesday, to help extinguish a massive wildfire that has spread to more than 8,000 acres since Sunday. The Shingle Fire is burning in southern Utah and is ten percent contained. Five crews of twenty firefighters from Alaska were briefed and outfitted with gear Tuesday night in Fairbanks, before departing Wednesday morning. They are expected to be there for the next two weeks, according to Maggie Rogers, information officer with the Alaska Division of Forestry.

The Anchorage Fire Department responded to a call of a fire in East Anchorage at about 9:30 pm Sunday. A Fire dispatcher said about 10 or 11 units responded to the scene to fight the fire on the 4600 block of Reka Drive, an 8-plex condo complex. AFD said one person was taken to the hospital. When firefighters arrived on scene they pulled a second line to battle the blaze. “That bottom unit is damaged heavily by fire I believe there is a little fire damage on the second floor,” Capt.

Anchorage firefighters found more than they expected during a Midtown call Wednesday afternoon, discovering a marijuana grow at the site of a small fire. APD spokesperson Lt. Dave Parker says police were informed by firefighters of the find, in an apartment on the 4400 block of Juneau Street, at about 3:30 p.m. Police found a small number of plants at the location, apparently meant for personal use. Their possession is a misdemeanor offense, but officers didn't take anybody into custody Wednesday afternoon.

The Anchorage Fire Department responded, Tuesday, to an investigative report which questioned the reliability of breathing packs used by AFD first responders. “The Anchorage Fire Department has experienced difficulties with the Draeger Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) used by firefighters and other first responders,” an AFD statement read. According to investigative reporting by the Atlanta Journal Constitution and WSB-TV, firefighters from Arizona to Alaska reported that mouthpieces on Draeger air packs fell apart, cutting off firefighters' supply of fresh air. Documents obtained by reporters show that the Anchorage Fire Department reported 44 failures with its Draeger units, less than two years after paying more than $1.5 million for the gear.

A Campbell Creek brush fire drew at least 15 Anchorage Fire Department units to South Anchorage Tuesday afternoon, as well as aircraft and reinforcements from the Alaska Division of Forestry. AFD spokesperson Al Tamagni Jr. says crews were called to 6480 Fairweather Dr. shortly before 5 p.m., with additional crews attempting to flank the fire at the intersection of 64th Avenue and C Street. Tamagni said the fire was smoking but under control Tuesday evening, with mop-up work in progress to put out hot spots.

Firefighters from Palmer, Sutton and the Mat-Su Valley responded to a blaze at a Sutton home Friday afternoon which spread from a burn barrel, causing no injuries but destroying two outbuildings. Officials at the scene, near Mile 65.5 of the Glenn Highway, say flames apparently escaped from the barrel and spread across a lawn and some logs, subsequently reaching the outbuildings. The blaze was quickly brought under control, and neither the main home nor a second home initially reported to be on fire were ever burned.

An Eagle River house fire caused about $200,000 in damage on Tuesday morning, according to the Anchorage Fire Department. AFD received a 911 call at 9:18 a.m. reporting the fire on Crestview Lane. Twelve units from AFD and one unit from the Chugiak Volunteer Fire Department responded to the incident. No occupants were inside the house when the first units arrived at the homestead. Firefighters reported heavy smoke coming from the residence. Firefighters say the flames started at the back of the house near the gas meter, and later traveled to the attic and underneath the roof.

An Anchorage firefighter says the quick actions of a good samaritan, may have saved the life of the woman injured from falling ice on the Seward highway on Friday. Amanda Lawton, 32, is in critical condition at Providence hospital after a large chunk of ice fell on her vehicle, trapping her inside. Police and firefighters on scene say several people worked to lift part of the truck's roof, alleviating pressure on Lawton, and allowing her to breathe. According to fire Capt. Mike Melchert, Nick Webb, co-owner of Webb's Towing in Anchorage, was a big help in the rescue efforts when he used his tow-truck to lift the roof.