A 911 call about the fire came in just before 7 a.m. Friday. The caller said they could see fire and smoke in a window. All three fire departments in Ketchikan responded with five fire trucks and two ambulances. There were no reported injuries. The building was the local Eagles Lodge, a fraternal organization. It sits on stilts above the water on historic Creek Street, which is connected by boardwalks.
“It makes access for us very difficult,” said Ketchikan Fire Chief Rick Hines. “They are old buildings that have been in existence since probably the early 1900s or Late 1800s so significant fire load, and significant fire potential, because the buildings are so close together.”
Still, firefighters contained the fire quickly. Hines called the response “good, aggressive firefighting”.
“From the time the 911 call was received, they were on scene within three minutes, and we had water on the fire within five minutes,” Hines said.
He said response time is important because a fire – with modern combustibles – doubles in size every two minutes. Hines said the building’s sprinkler system helped, too.
“The sprinkler system had held most of the fire to a couple areas of origin,” he said. “But the fire had got beyond the sprinkler system, so we were able to get in there and extinguish the fire. Had there not been a sprinkler system, it would have been a lot worse.”
Hines said there is “significant smoke and water damage” to the building. The local Fire Marshall, Gretchen O’Sullivan, is investigating the fire to determine the cause.
The area of the fire is a popular tourist destination. Hines says they blocked off a zone around the Eagles building, but nearby buildings were accessible Friday.
