Two people were injured when a fire started in a Water Street building in Ketchikan Wednesday morning. Ketchikan’s fire chief spoke about the incident with KRBD.
The fire broke out in an add-on commercial structure attached to a three-unit apartment building. Ketchikan Fire Chief Rick Hines says Ketchikan Police Department officers on patrol spotted heavy smoke and called dispatch at 5:59 a.m. He says first responders arrived quickly, with water deployed at 6:05 a.m.
“Pretty fantastic job for our folks. You know, six minutes from the dispatch. Six minutes from drinking your cup of coffee at the firehouse to wearing full fire gear and going in and fighting a fire. It’s pretty incredible,” he says.
Hines says there was also an efficiency apartment in the commercial structure. He says the apartment’s resident had been trying to put out the fire and was found lying on the ground outside coughing and covered with soot.
“Our primary goal at that point is, we know he’s out of the fire, what we need to do is search for other occupants of fire, and try to get water on the fire. So the KPD officers who were on the scene knocked on the three apartment doors, evacuated them, and they actually transported the gentleman with smoke and soot for us,” Hines says.
That man was taken to PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center for treatment.
Hines says while climbing a steep flight of stairs in heavy smoke, one firefighter lost his footing and fell, injuring his back. He was transported by ambulance to the hospital, treated and later released.
Hines says the fire was contained to the commercial space. A concrete firewall prevented it from spreading to the three adjacent apartments.
So when they had done an extension, they had built a proper fire separation wall out of masonry block that separated the house from the commercial space. And that is completely what saved the house portion, or those three apartments, from being involved.” Hines said.
While the apartments were not damaged, Hines says utilities were shut off. The residential and commercial space share electrical panels. Hines says the building’s owner was on scene and contacted an electrician to work to restore power to the three apartments.
The fire was declared under control by 7:30 a.m. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Hines says in the early stages of the fire, extra personnel were not on hand to close off roads or redirect traffic. As a result, he says non-response vehicles were driving over the fire hoses lying across the road. Hines wants people to be aware of the danger this presents to equipment, water utilities and firefighters.
“That water flowing from the hydrant is going to the fire engine that’s being supplied to our firemen. But when you run over that hose, you cause a backflow of pressure onto the water system for the city. So you can damage water pipes, the hydrant. But you also run the risk of damaging the fire engine,” he says.
Hines says damage to their equipment could take away a critical lifeline.
“We just ask folks to be a little bit courteous and as soon as we can get the road opened up, we absolutely will. We had four people who lifted the hose up so cars could drive under. We really try to be understanding. But when the initial fire attack is going on, it’s one thing that we really don’t need to worry about,” Hines says.
He says drivers had other options available to exit the area.
Hines also reminds residents that homes should have working smoke detectors that are checked regularly; a family exit plan which includes pets; and an accessible fire extinguisher. He says in the event of a fire, call 9-1-1 and get out of the house quickly.
“Even when you think, ‘I can put this out,” just go ahead and dial 9-1-1 and say your house is on fire. Our communications center, our dispatch center, they’re fantastic. They’ll get us on the way,” he says.
Hines says if you have a home fire and do put it out yourself, you should still call the fire department to make sure it’s completely out and hasn’t entered a void space in the walls. He says they also have tools for removing smoke from a house. It won’t cost the homeowner, and could save lives and property.
