Unoccupied storage building completely burned down outside northern edge of Kodiak city limits

Kodiak’s fire departments jointly responded to a structure fire Saturday evening, which required monitoring into Sunday morning. No injuries or fatalities were reported and the cause of the blaze is under investigation.

Fire Protection Area No. 1, also known as the Bayside Volunteer Fire Department, received a report of a fire at 3266 View Crest Lane – in the vicinity of the Kodiak Island Housing Authority – on Saturday, April 13 around 7 p.m.

Bayside Fire Chief Scott Ellis said after firefighters arrived on scene, he asked Kodiak’s other departments for assistance or mutual aid.

“What we found on arrival was a detached approximately 30 x 30 foot, two story, wood frame structure, appeared to be a utility or out building type structure. A garage or storage building, or workshop. It was well involved on our arrival,” Ellis explained.

Ellis said initially there were multiple parked cars around the property, which made it difficult to get close enough to fight the fire. The water hose off of one of the fire trucks was stretched approximately 400 feet up the narrow driveway in order to reach the fire.
The uninhabited building was a complete loss. Multiple vehicles nearby also caught fire, suffering varying degrees of damage.

Eventually the main fire was put out, but deep seeded pockets or hot spots continued to smoke overnight into the next morning. An excavator from the Kodiak Island Borough was called in to help fully extinguish the smoldering remains, which were put out by 10 a.m. Sunday morning, April 14.

Ellis reminds Kodiak residents that they can assist the department by maintaining access to nearby fire hydrants, by putting up signage for house addresses, and by keeping up to date smoke detectors in the main rooms of a residence or building.

“So keep those hydrants clear for us, mark your homes, and then don’t block things. If you expect us to be able to get up a driveway with an ambulance or a fire truck, keep it clear so we can,” Ellis requested.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Fire Chief Ellis said a final report will be publicly released in the coming days.