A fire destroyed a garage at a residence in Haines on Saturday. No one was harmed by the blaze. The local fire department believes it may have been sparked by an electrical malfunction.
The Haines Volunteer Fire Department was notified of a structure fire on Highland Drive shortly after 10 p.m. on Saturday. Residents reported hearing several small explosions.
Fire Chief Al Giddings said 15 firefighters and four medics responded with the department’s fire engine and water tankers.
“When Engine 1 came alongside the fire, we had a fully engulfed garage approximately 60 feet by 100 feet and the flames were already through the roof at least 20 foot high,” Giddings said.
Firefighters were able to prevent the flames from spreading to the house adjacent to the garage. All seven members of the nearby household were accounted for and safe.
According to Giddings, the flames were knocked down in about 20 minutes. He said the owner told the fire department there had been propane bottles and gasoline cans in the garage.
“It’s difficult to piece that kind of a fire together because the destruction is so intense. But we have reason to believe or suspect that the origin was an electrical short somewhere within the system,” Giddings said.
The garage and its contents were completely destroyed. It housed a metal working shop and was also used to store frozen fish and game. The owner is currently putting together an inventory to estimate the dollar value of what was lost.
An online fundraiser has been created to help the owner’s family pay bills and rebuild its metal working business.
