NOTN- A fire inside Bartlett Regional Hospital forced evacuations and canceled surgeries, but no serious injuries were reported.
According to a press release issued by Bartlett, officials say the fire started just before 2 p.m. in a utility closet in the Surgical Services unit after a worker accidentally cut into electrical heat tape.
A Code Red alert was issued, and hospital staff, patients, and visitors were evacuated as a precaution.
The fire was quickly contained by maintenance crews and Capital City Fire and Rescue.
An all-clear was given later in the afternoon, but outpatient appointments were canceled for the rest of the day, and all elective surgeries scheduled for tomorrow have been called off.
One worker was treated and released, and no patients or visitors were hurt.
NOTN- The City and Borough of Juneau has appointed Thomas Hatley as the new fire chief for Capital City Fire Rescue, his role officially begins today.
City officials said Hatley’s three decades of experience across multiple fire agencies in the Northwest made him a strong fit for Juneau. He has held a range of leadership positions during his career, including fire chief, deputy fire chief, assistant chief and fire marshal.
“Fire chief is always tricky because there are lots of people that you have to please, including the public.” Said Mayor Beth Weldon, “Trying to bring things under control is difficult in an ever-changing world, being at a fire scene is chaotic at best. I know that the firefighters are looking forward to a new chief, so hopefully Chief Hatley will fit the build and also try to revive some of our volunteers.”
Hatley said he is looking forward to joining Capital City Fire Rescue and building on the work of his predecessor.
“I am honored to join the City and Borough of Juneau and the dedicated professionals of Capital City Fire Rescue,” shared Chief Hatley. “After more than three decades in the fire service, I have learned that the strongest departments are built on relationships, trust, and pride in serving the community.”
He also thanked retiring Fire Chief Rich Etheridge.
As fire chief, Hatley will serve as the administrative leader of Capital City Fire Rescue, overseeing emergency response and preparedness, fire prevention and community risk reduction, strategic planning, workforce development, interagency relations and community engagement.
NOTN- Capital City Fire/Rescue responded to another trailer fire in the Switzer Creek area earlier today, and according to a statement released on their social media, extremely cold temperatures have complicated firefighting and emergency response operations.
The post said the severe cold can cause firefighters to fatigue more quickly and can even lead to equipment freezing or malfunctioning. Accessing structures also proves more difficult due to weather conditions.
CCFR reported receiving medical calls during the fire, stretching available resources and requiring crews to triage incidents as the fire response continued.
The statement said, “If it’s not a time-sensitive emergency or they are in a clinic setting, we will have to delay responses and get to them as quickly as we can, we apologize for some of the delays, however that’s the reality of a small town without neighboring departments to help fill it.”
NOTN- A 38 year old man has died following a residential structure fire Saturday night in Juneau.
According to an information release, the Juneau Police Department said officers were called to a report of a structure fire in the 6500 block of Glacier Highway at about 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 20, after a caller reported that a resident might still be inside the home.
Police and Capital City Fire/Rescue responded to the scene. After firefighters extinguished the blaze, they located the body of a 38-year-old man inside the residence.
Sunday, first reported by the Juneau Independent, the deceased was identified as Calvin Olsen. Next of kin have been notified.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The downtown Anchorage skyline is seen on June 3, 2022. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
The owner of an Anchorage business destroyed during a building fire in March has filed suit against Denali Disposal, owned by Republican gubernatorial candidate Bernadette Wilson, and two other businesses that also used the destroyed building.
The lawsuit, by auto repair firm 2nd II None LLC, accuses all three defendants of negligence that contributed to the fire and seeks a judgment worth more than $100,000. The exact value is to be proven at trial.
According to a report by the Anchorage Fire Department, the fire — which destroyed a building owned by Restaurants Northwest, one of the defendants — was aggravated by several factors, including the fact that the building’s sprinkler system had been turned off.
Seventy-five firefighters, plus ambulance crews and police, responded to the fire, but their work was hampered by a water main break that reduced water pressure to the point that they couldn’t extinguish the blaze before it destroyed the building.
Total losses were estimated at $8 million, the report states.
The case was filed in Anchorage Superior Court on Oct. 23 and has been preliminarily assigned to Judge David Nesbett.
2nd II None is being represented by attorney William Earnhart, who declined comment on the case when reached by phone. State business records show 2nd II None as being owned by Darien Carter.
The lawsuit alleges “the fire started in a location under the exclusive control of Denali Disposal” and that “a structure fire ordinarily does not occur absent negligence.”
Wilson, reached by phone, declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing the need to avoid affecting legal proceedings.
The claim that the fire started in Denali Disposal’s rented section of the building does not match the fire department’s report, which states that officials were “unable to determine the exact origin and cause of the fire” but that “the fire originated inside the south half … of the structure.”
The building, at 501 West Potter Drive in Anchorage, was owned by Restaurants Northwest, which is one of the three defendants. State business records list former Anchorage Assemblyman and state Representative Larry Baker as the firm’s owner. Baker did not return a message left at his listed cellphone number.
According to the fire department’s report, the building’s sprinkler system had been disconnected for repairs in fall 2024 after a sprinkler head broke in a part of the building being used by Living Waters Plumbing and Mechanical, the third defendant in the lawsuit.
During a post-fire inspection, investigators found the sprinkler system was still switched to the off position.
State business records list Tim Thomas as Living Waters’ owner. He did not return an email seeking comment.
The legal complaint filed by 2nd II None states that “Living Waters and/or Restaurants Northwest knew or should have known the water valve was closed … having the water valve closed for no reason was negligent.”
Further proceedings in the case have not yet been scheduled.
training exercise at the Juneau International Airport, Photo provided by CBJ
NOTN- The Juneau International Airport will conduct a full-scale emergency response exercise on Saturday, July 26, simulating an aircraft crash and live fire response. The exercise will run from approximately 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is part of required Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety training.
Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon says residents can expect to see visible black smoke and flames on the airport grounds as part of the simulation.
“They’ll be conducting a simulated airport crash and live fire training to allow everybody to get a chance to play all their roles. So this will be controlled burning of fuel, which will produce black smoke to replicate a real world aircraft fire, and so there will be a lot of emergency response vehicles in and around the airport. But again, there’s no danger to the public.”
The exercise is being conducted in coordination with local emergency response agencies and the burning complies with Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) open burning guidelines, which allow limited black smoke emissions for firefighter training purposes. Airport officials say all reasonable efforts are being made to limit environmental impact and minimize the duration of smoke.
To support the drill, Mayor Weldon says the Airport Dike Trail parking lot off Radcliffe Road will be closed to the public, “airport dyke trail parking lot will be closed from 5pm on Friday, July 25 to 1pm on Saturday, July 26 So, and that’s usually one of their staging areas. So just be aware, if you’d like to walk that trail, you might pick a different trail to walk Saturday morning or walk in the afternoon.”
Airport authorities thank the public for their cooperation and understanding as they conduct this important safety training.
