A fire engulfed a vacant trailer in Nikiski before firefighters could contain the blaze Thursday morning.

At 9 a.m. the Nikiski Fire Department received a 911 call of a reported a structure fire of a single level home on Milky Way Street about a mile from North Star Elementary School, said Nikiski fire chief James Baisden.

Both Nikiski fire stations responded within six minutes and were assisted by the Kenai Fire Department. Crews contained the fire within 30 minutes and remained on scene until 11 a.m. No one was injured in the fire or found on scene when firefighters arrived, he said.

Baisden said when crews left the station they could see black smoke in the air. He said the fire had been going on for about 20 minutes before the call came in.

“The structure was fully engulfed when we arrived on scene,” he said. “The building was down a narrow driveway and we had to stretch the hose 500 to 1,000 feet. We engaged in defensive action to put the fire out.”

Baisden said the resident who owned the structure lived down the street.

The cause of the fire is unknown and under investigation. Baisden said with the damage done to the building, it would be difficult to determine what happened.

Reach Dan Balmer at daniel.balmer@peninsulaclarion.com

Courtesy photo/Nikiski Fire Department

Courtesy photo/Nikiski Fire Department