Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion Kenai Fire Department Capt. James Dye talks to Kenai Firefighter Zach Pettit on Wednesday Dec. 10, 2014 outside of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe's administration building on Willow Street in Kenai. Firefighters responded to reports of smoke at about noon and worked to discover an ignition point in a portion of the building.

Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion Kenai Fire Department Capt. James Dye talks to Kenai Firefighter Zach Pettit on Wednesday Dec. 10, 2014 outside of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe's administration building on Willow Street in Kenai. Firefighters responded to reports of smoke at about noon and worked to discover an ignition point in a portion of the building.

Small fire closes Kenaitze Tribal building Wednesday

  • By DAN BALMER
  • Wednesday, December 10, 2014 11:00pm
  • News

An electrical shortage sparked a small fire inside the walls of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s headquarters at 110 North Willow Street in Kenai on Wednesday.

With the Kenai Fire Department one block away, firefighters arrived almost immediately after the call came in around noon. Kenai Fire Chief Jeff Tucker said when crews arrived the building had already been evacuated and no injuries were reported.

The source of the fire is believed to be an exterior outlet that shorted out on the Granite Point Street side of the building, Tucker said.

As smoke billowed out of the tribal courtroom window, firefighters worked to discover the origin of the fire. They removed siding and cut into the exterior of the building to get to the electrical wiring inside the wall where smoke was discovered.

“Anytime we respond to a fire, to make sure it is out we check in the wall to look for radiant heat,” Tucker said. “We don’t want to leave an ember burning that could cause the fire to restart.”

The fire was controlled after 10 minutes and crews remained on scene for an hour. Firefighters covered a small hole on the outside of the building used for ventilation. Tucker said if the fire had occurred on a weekend when nobody would be in the building to notice the smoke, the damage could have been devastating.

“The biggest thing for us is earlier notification,” he said. “Flames spread rapidly and we were able to take care of it before it could get out of hand.”

Kenaitze Indian Tribe communications specialist M. Scott Moon said the fire was discovered after a person in the building smelled smoke.

“(The employee) went to look for the source of the smell, saw smoke in the tribal court area and we initiated our emergency evacuation plan,” Moon said. “We have a detailed response plan to any situation. Our plan is to get people out first and figure out what’s going on.”

Jaylene Peterson-Nyren, Executive Director of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe said the office was shut down for the rest of the day after servers and phone lines went down. She said she hopes regular business hours will resume Thursday. Information will be posted on the tribe’s website

A maintenance crew and insurance company will assess the damage Thursday. Peterson-Nyren said the damage is minor considering the alternative. She said she was grateful that the 30 people inside the building came out safe.

“I’m impressed with the quick response from the fire department,” she said. “They took care to cover furniture and limit the damage. If it happened any other time it could have been a total loss.”

 

Reach Dan Balmer at daniel.balmer@peninsulaclarion.com.

Photo by Dan Balmer/Peninsula Clarion Kenai and Nikiski firefighters responded to a noon fire at the Kenaitze Indian Tribe's administration building on Wednesday  Dec. 10, 2014 at 110 N. Willow in Kenai, Alaska.

Photo by Dan Balmer/Peninsula Clarion Kenai and Nikiski firefighters responded to a noon fire at the Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s administration building on Wednesday Dec. 10, 2014 at 110 N. Willow in Kenai, Alaska.

More in News

Samantha Springer, left, and Michelle Walker stand in the lobby of the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Springer named new head of Kenai chamber

Springer, who was raised in Anchorage, said she’s lived on the Kenai Peninsula since 2021

Forever Dance performers rehearse “Storytellers” on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at the Renee C. Henderson Auditorium in Kenai, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
‘Storytellers’ weave tales with their feet

Dance and literature intersect in latest Forever Dance showcase

Soldotna City Hall is photographed on Wednesday, June 24, 2021, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna OKs donation of portable shower, restroom facilities to homelessness coalition

The city purchased the portable restroom and shower trailer for about $182,000 in October 2020

The Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation building is seen in Juneau, Alaska, in March 2022. The deadline for the permanent fund dividend is coming up fast, landing on March 31, 2023. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)
PFD application deadline is next week; state revenue forecasts lower than expected

Alaska North Slope crude oil was estimated to be about $71.62 per barrel on Monday

COVID-19. (Image courtesy CDC)
COVID-19: Cases jump in Kenai Peninsula Borough

No hospitalizations were reported in the Gulf Coast region

The Challenger Learning Center is seen in Kenai, Alaska, on Sept. 10, 2020. (Peninsula Clarion file)
Transportation gaps to be the focus of community meeting

The goal is to create a task force who can regularly meet and move forward on the issue

Bob Schroeder takes an electric chainsaw to a mock credit card during a protest outside the Wells Fargo in downtown Juneau at midday Tuesday. Schroeder cut up three mock credit cards representing three banks in Juneau protesters say are leading funders of fossil fuel development projects. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Protesters object to banks financing fossil fuel projects

Demonstrators used chain saw to cut up giant credit cards

The members of Sankofa Dance Theater Alaska perform for a crowd of students during an opening performance at Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science in Kenai, Alaska on Monday, March 20, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Uniting through movement

Kaleidoscope students learn about western African dances and music with in-residence artists

A blizzard warning is issued for the Eastern Kenai Peninsula and beyond by the National Weather Service on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. (Screenshot)
Blizzard warning issued for Seward, Turnagain Pass

Snow accumulation is predicted to be from 7 to 20 inches

Most Read