1 dead after fire in Midtown Anchorage

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - One person is dead after a fire at a Midtown four-plex on Wednesday morning, according to a news release from the Anchorage Fire Department. It is Anchorage’s eighth fatal fire this year.

Crews were called to the fire on East 48th Avenue near Cordova Street at 4:13 a.m. and found two units on fire.

“There were flames through the roof, and visible from both C street and Tudor as crews arrived,” said assistant chief Alex Boyd.

Boyd said the fire started in the bottom floor unit before flames then moved to the upper levels.

Once firefighters had knocked down the flames enough to enter and search, one person was found dead in the unit where the fire started.

“The investigators have determined that it is likely due to poorly discarded smoking material,” Boyd said.

Boyd said only one of the four units had a working smoke alarm, which may have helped save other residents.

“The resident on the second floor was able to wake up, move out of the building safely, and was able to alert all the other residents that were in the building of the time of the fire,” Boyd said.

That neighbor also tried to put out the fire but was unable to.

The Medical Examiner’s Office is working to identify the victim.

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