Metlakatla’s senior center was damaged in a fire on Friday.
The Metlakatla Senior Citizens Center is a social gathering place that provides day services like meals and events to the community’s elders. David Boxley, Metlakatla’s Acting Mayor, said they got the call at roughly 7 a.m. on Friday that the building was engulfed in flames.
“We’re waiting for the fire marshal to come down, but we’re pretty confident that it started around the furnace and the fire went up and then spread through the air ducts in the roof,” said Boxley.
Luckily, no one was injured. The center was empty and the staff had off for the long Fourth of July weekend. Boxley said the state fire marshal is en route to Metlakatla to determine the cause of the fire and the extent of damages.
Though the exact cause is unknown, rumors spread through the community that it was started by fireworks from Fourth of July festivities, but Boxley said that definitely wasn’t the cause.
The fire lasted roughly five hours, according to the acting mayor, before they could confirm it was completely out.
“We’re going to be serving our elders out of a church this week and then moving to our town hall until we can rebuild or repair,” Boxley said, explaining how the community is scrambling to continue services for the elders.
The acting mayor said that Albert Smith, Metlakatla’s mayor who Boxley is filling in for, fought the fire with the volunteer fire department. Then he went off-island to Ketchikan to purchase supplies to outfit the community’s town hall to cook for the seniors.
“It’s a hit to our community, for sure, but Metlakatla seems to shine its brightest when things are hardest and we’re already on the path to making sure that our elders are getting fed,” Boxley said.
The Metlakatla Volunteer Fire Department and representatives of the senior center couldn’t be reached for comment.
NOTE: If you are an elderly Metlakatla resident and need assistance, the Senior Center can still be reached at 907-886-7191.
Get in touch with the author at jack@krbd.org.
