Two people were injured and a trailer destroyed Tuesday when a fire broke out on Cardinal Street in Soldotna.
Firefighters with Central Emergency Services were called at 9:09 a.m. by neighbors who saw the fire, said Central Emergency Services Health and Safety Officer Brad Nelson.
By the time firefighters arrived on scene, the trailer was fully engulfed.
“The fire had already developed significantly,” Nelson said. “When we responded, all I saw was fire. It was just a pile on fire.”
While there were no outbuildings in the immediate vicinity, Nelson said there were cars and other objects around the trailer that were threatened by the blaze.
“It was starting to get into the wild land section but crews put that out pretty quick,” he said.
The two people who escaped from the fire had non-life-threatening injuries but were treated on-scene and then taken to the hospital, while a dog who also escaped the fire was turned over to neighbor for care. The dog was uninjured.
Firefighters extinguished the fire in about 15 minutes, Nelson said, but stayed on scene for another hour to watch for hot spots.
CES is estimating the value of the trailer at about $10,000.
“It was an old trailer, so it wasn’t worth much. But the contents add value,” he said. “It was a total loss.”
Nelson said investigators interviewed one of the occupants of the trailer who said an unleaded gas heater had gotten knocked over.
“That’s the preliminary cause right now,” Nelson said.
As it gets colder, firefighters expect to respond to many more of these types of fires, he said.
“We start seeing heater fires, chimney fires, these are what we’re expecting to respond too,” Nelson said.
Reach Rashah McChesney at rashah.mcchesney@peninsulaclarion.com
