A mobile home catches fire in Skagway. Photo by James Michels.
A seasonal residence on 22nd Avenue in Skagway caught fire Thursday. No injuries have been reported, but the building will likely be a total loss.
At about 1:20 Thursday afternoon Skagway’s police and fire departments responded to a call about a mobile home fire between Main and Alaska Streets in Skagway.
Skagway Police Chief Jerry Reddick said the fire most likely happened while the building was being winterized.
“The guy that’s working on the house said that three hours ago he started the furnace… And came back to this,” said Reddick.
Emergency personnel battled the blaze for nearly an hour, but flames were still shooting out of broken windows and smoke billowed out from below the roofline.
Reddick said the smoke shouldn’t cause problems for neighbors.
“They’re getting it knocked down pretty quick it’s probably going to be quite a bit of smoke for a while but I don’t think it’ll be too terrible,” said Reddick.
Skagway’s mostly volunteer fire department is currently managed by an interim chief. The last borough assembly meeting included a discussion about hiring a full-time firefighter/EMT or paramedic position, however, no hiring notices are posted on the municipal website for that position.
