Photo by Diana DeStafeno
Kotzebue firefighters worked to put out the flames in a house fire near Front Street at 1:30 a.m., Sept. 5.
The state fire marshal’s office is investigating the fire that wiped out three homes in Kotzebue this month as a possible arson, a Department of Public Safety spokeswoman said today.
“We suspect it was intentionally set,” said spokeswoman Beth Ipsen. A deputy fire marshal plans to visit Kotzebue next week to continue the investigation.
The fire, first reported just after midnight Sept. 5, began in a cluster of homes between Second Avenue and George Fox Way in Kotzebue, she said.
Kotzebue firefighters arrived within three minutes, Ipsen said. “By the time they got there, the first home was fully engulfed and the other two homes were just starting to catch on fire."
Along with destroying three homes, the blaze damaged a fourth and displaced 12 people, she said. One of the occupants injured his ankle escaping the fire and a firefighter suffered smoke inhalation.
Ipsen declined to say what it was about the fire that points to foul play. “It’s still under investigation. We still have to do more interviews out there.”
Check out Kotzebue resident Diana DeStefano's detailed report on the fire here.
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