Firefighters quickly put out downtown house fire

There were no injuries and no major damage after a fire Wendesday evening in the Behrends neighborhood above Juneau-Douglas High School.

Assistant Chief Tod Chambers of Capital City Fire/Rescue said firefighters from both the valley and downtown stations responded to the 5:30 p.m. call.

Chambers said the fire appeared to start in a mattress in the basement of the two-story house at 241 Behrends Street.

“It was extinguished. (We) cleared the smoke out. Everybody got out of the house. Because of quick notification from the homeowner calling 911 and the quick response from the crew on duty downtown, we were able to contain it and extinguish it fairly rapidly with very little loss.”

Chambers said the house’s three human occupants escaped without injury.

“We did a very thorough search for animals,” Chambers said. “The occupants reported that there were animals in the structure.”

Chambers said it appeared that several cats probably exited the building.

“We don’t know that for sure,” Chambers said. “We didn’t find any cats in the structure.”

But Chanbers said they did find a dog.

“The dog was happy, healthy and alive and avoiding our rescue efforts,” Chambers said. “So, we just pretty much let it sit where it was at.”

Chambers said they let the owner retrieve the dog.

The house was turned back over to the owner Wednesday night, but the house’s occupants elected to stay overnight in accommodations established by the Red Cross.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Chambers said it was not intentional. He says it was likely a heating appliance or malfunctioning power cord.

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