On Wednesday April 11, 2007 at 10:25 AM, 9-1-1 dispatch received a phone call from an occupant living in a residence located on Acy's Avenue, off North Cohoe Loop, advising of a fire in their residence.
Engine 1, Tankers 1, 3 and 4, Medic 1, Rescue 1, Ladder 1 and four command vehicles responded, along with 24 personnel. Within 16 minutes of the initial call, Fire Marshal Gary Hale arrived on scene and reported a single story residential structure fully engulfed by fire. The first arriving engine, driving 21 miles from Soldotna, arrived within 23 minutes and immediately set up a defensive attack position. The fire was declared under control in about 71 minutes and declared out within the next hour.
The single story structure and its contents were completely destroyed. A mother and daughter were in the home at the time the fire started and reported seeing smoke, possibly from a wood burning stove. Investigation revealed the smoke was coming from the front bedroom, and not the stove. Flames were discovered climbing the upper walls in one corner of the bedroom. The mother attempted to fight the fire with an extinguisher while the daughter called 9-1-1. Both occupants thought the fire was out and began looking for water to finish extinguishing the fire. When they returned to the bedroom, they were forced back by smoke, and were then driven from the home, along with the family pets. The family had no insurance on the home or contents.
Investigation determined the probably cause of the fire to be an unattended candle, placed on a dresser in the front bedroom. Investigators eliminated electrical, mechanical and natural causes as the source of the fire.
