On Aug. 7, the Bethel Fire Department responded to a structure fire at a two-story residential building at 410 Owl Street across from the Russian Orthodox Church. One half of the yellow duplex was severely damaged, while the other half sustained minor damage thanks to the rapid response of firefighters.
The fire is being investigated. On Aug. 8, Bethel Fire Chief Darren Solesbee said that the city had requested a deputy fire marshal from the state, who will be flying in from Fairbanks to assist with the investigation.
This is the fourth structure fire seen in Bethel this summer, and comes less than a week after the Valcarce Law Offices on Third Avenue went up in flames.
KYUK's Francisco Martinezcuello was at the scene and spoke to Chief Solesbee.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
KYUK: How many crew and people do you have here?
Solesbee: We have the ladder truck, the fire engine, and our ambulance unit. And we have some volunteers that showed up as well. So I think right now we're at around 10 personnel.
KYUK: And any idea of how long it took to get it under control?
Solesbee: I know from the time that they arrived, and to the time they deployed the hoses and went inside, actually applied water to the fire, it was within 10 minutes altogether.
KYUK: So yeah, you've been nonstop.
Solesbee: Seems like we've been pretty busy, especially the last couple of weeks. And it's unfortunate. We didn't have any fatalities or anything like that. So we're happy about that. But the crew is in there doing overhaul right now, which means they're searching for hotspots, trying to get it wrapped up. Then we'll start the investigation.
