AFD: Trailer fire in Muldoon calls for all hands on deck

A structure fire on Boundary Avenue in Muldoon called for a full response from the Anchorage Fire Department Sunday morning.

The call came in just after 9:00 a.m., according to AFD. A resident reported an abandoned trailer with heavy black smoke coming from both the interior and the skirting beneath the trailer.

Fire Captain with Engine 6 in Muldoon, Scott Paschall, said they first extinguished the fire beneath the structure while searching for any people who may have been inside.

Paschall said the fire was put out relatively quickly, but not without significant damage to the building.

"Obviously, a good bit of damage due to the fact that we had to open up significant portions of the structural parts of the trailer to make sure it's out," Paschall said.

It was all hands on deck, a response Paschall said is common in the event of a structure fire. "It takes a lot of hands," he said. "The more hands we have on deck, the safer we are able to rotate the crews through, especially when it's freezing temperatures such as we have out here today."

When AFD arrives to a structure fire, there are a number of jobs to do to ensure safety and to properly contain the fire. Some of these include potential rescue efforts, exposures, confining and isolating the fire and ultimately extinguishing it.

Paschall said this was the department's first response to this particular trailer, and they did not find anyone inside. AFD will conduct three or more post-fire checks over the course of several hours to make sure the fire is completely extinguished.

As far as what started the fire, Paschall said that investigation is still ongoing.

The National Fire Protection Association has tips to put a freeze on winter fires, reminding that half of all home heating fires occur in the months of December, January and February. Some of those tips are:

- Keep anything flammable at least three feet from any heat source.

- Keep portable generators outside, away from windows, and as far away as possible from your home.

- Always be sure to maintain carbon monoxide alarms, suggesting testing them once a month.

- Only plug one heat-producing appliance, like a space heater, into an outlet at a time.

For more information on helping keep your home fire-free during winter months