A fire burned through a home in Haines Thursday night. The volunteer fire department worked for hours to put it out. It’s unclear what caused the blaze.
The smell of smoke filled the neighborhood as firefighters hosed the house on the west side of Oslund Dr. for around four hours. They were called to the scene around 5:45 p.m. Thursday night.
“Where the bulk of where the fire was is totally gone,” says Fire Chief Brian Clay.
He says in terms of size, this was a big fire.
“It was a two-story house with the top floor fully involved,” says Clay.
The homeowners, Dan and Jo Anna Egolf, were not in the house when it started. They came back when they found out about the fire and looked on as it was extinguished.
Clay says no one was injured in the fire.
He says the last of the blaze was put out between 9:30 and 10 p.m.
According to Clay, house fires this large are pretty unusual in Haines.
“We don’t see that many – these big house fires – that in Haines, no. Knock on wood, because of the prevention processes and stuff that we have in place,” says Clay.
The house is still standing, though much of it was severely burned. Clay says the Egolfs were able to salvage some things.
“They have been able to salvage some items out of the lower basement floors and stuff, but it did spread throughout the whole upper floor,” says Clay.
How the fire started is unknown. The Haines Police Department was working alongside the fire department and the state fire marshal to decide if an arson investigation should be pursued. But, according to Sgt. Josh Dryden, they have ruled that out at this time. An investigation continues into what did cause the fire.
The Egolfs declined to comment for this story.
We visited with Joanna and Dan on our trip to Alaska several years ago and then saw then later at the BU-Ilinois game in Las Vegas. They are really nice people. I also got to know Will, when he played at Bradley, and his brother Ben when he worked at Bradley. Sorry for their loss, but thankful that no one was injured.
My heart goes out to Dan and Jo Anna. As an objects conservator, I am trained in post fire recovery techniques for the cultural property that survives. If something is important to you, do not assume it is a loss. Freeze it if it is wet, pack it in a box if it is dry. I’ll be back in Haines today (Saturday) and can help you determine what can be done. This includes papers, photographs, and artwork. Even broken/shattered items may be savable. The hardest part is sorting through the rubble to find what survived.
Helen Alten
Has anyone begun a fund raiser for the Egolf’s after their devestating fire?
Yes! You can go to gofundme.com/theegolfs to donate on-line or to the Haines Bank and make a donation to “The Egolfs Fire Recovery Fund.