Man dies, two people hurt in Mat-Su house fires

Fire officials said Bruce E. Braden, 54, died in one of the fires.

Braden, with help from his wife, has organized the Knik 200 sled-dog race for several years.

At 4:19 a.m. dispatchers received a report of a fire on Horizon Drive, near Mile 13 Knik-Goose Bay Road. Dennis Brodigan, director of emergency services for the Mat-Su Borough, said the building was almost fully involved when responders arrived.

"Michael (Keenan, Central Mat-Su Fire Chief) said it was too dangerous to access the house when they arrived on scene," Brodigan said.

According to Alaska State Troopers who also responded, Braden was trapped inside. His wife Katharine M. Braden, 60, was able to escape the house and was transported to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center for examination.

A cause of the fire is not yet clear. Brodigan said initial reports indicate the fire may have started near a wood stove. Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said the wood stove is one of several potential causes of the fire.

Less than a half hour before this fire, a neighbor reported a fire a 1380 Tanana Drive, in Williwaw subdivision east of Wasilla, Brodigan said.

Borough property records describe the property as a residential cabin. The two residents, a man and a woman whose names were not available Monday, were taken to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. Brodigan said the woman was later flown to Seattle to be treated for severe burns.

Michael Keenan, Central Mat-Su deputy fire chief who responded to the Tanana fire, said the cause of the fire is under investigation but it might have been started by a leak in a wall heater, which caused an explosion that set some nearby clothing on fire.

Keenan said the residents of the home had carried the burning items outside to the snow. By the time responders arrived, the fire was nearly extinguished, he said.

Central Mat-Su Fire marshals are investigating both fires. Peters said Troopers are participating in the Horizon Drive investigation because there was a death. Foul play is not suspected at this time.

The Knik 200 sled dog race is usually the first week of January and is a popular qualifying race for rookie mushers because about 90 miles of the race follows the Iditarod Trail.

Find Rindi White online at adn.com/contact/rwhite or call 907-352-6709.