Alaska News

A worker saved lives in Nome’s hotel fire, but it was too late for one woman

More details about Tuesday's deadly fire that destroyed the popular Polaris Hotel in Nome have emerge, including the lone victim's name and the actions of one man who saved lives by evacuating people to safety.

The body of Nome resident Bette Haugen, 63, was discovered after a search of the debris, the city said late Tuesday.

The damage to the two-story building on Bering Street is expected to exceed $750,000, the city said.

Authorities were notified about the fire at 2:43 a.m. Tuesday. It took more than seven hours to bring it under control. A small group of firefighters was still there Wednesday, dousing smoky spots, said Nome Mayor Richard Beneville.

The building was constructed in 1952, said Polaris owner Kwan Yi, who immediately flew from his home in Anchorage to Nome on Tuesday after learning about the fire.

The hotel, with more than 30 rooms, a restaurant, a bar and a liquor store, was a popular spot in the Northwest Alaska city of 3,800. It played a key role in the community as a gathering place for events, especially during the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race that ends nearby, residents said. Yi said that the building had fire alarms.

"I can't even think right now," Yi said Wednesday.

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Dae An, a worker at the hotel who goes by Justin, smelled something burning in the building that morning and discovered a fire, the city's statement said.

He immediately alerted guests and evacuated many people from the hotel.

"His actions saved lives," the statement said.

"I heard he got a lot of people out of the building," said Beneville, the mayor. "But unfortunately, one person is dead."

Beneville said Haugen was a longtime Nome resident whom everyone knew. People affectionately called her Betty Boop.

"She was just a good person, and we mourn her loss," Beneville said.

Yi said Haugen was staying as a guest at the hotel.

The manager of the liquor store, 37-year-old Eric Trigg, said Wednesday that he was still in shock after escaping the fire with his wife.

Trigg, who lived on the second floor, tried unsuccessfully to save Haugen, but couldn't.

Trigg noticed smoke pouring past the edges of his door shortly before 3 a.m., after he got out of the shower, he said.

He heard Haugen yelling for help, shouting that she couldn't breathe. The screams quickly stopped, he said.

Trigg woke his wife, told her to flee and threw on his clothes.

Trigg dashed into the hallway, but the smoke was so thick he couldn't find Haugen or reach her room a couple of doors down. He said he was struggling to breathe in the smoke, but tried repeatedly to find her.

"I was hollering for her, but I couldn't see anything," he said.

After trying to reach Haugen for several minutes, he fled down the stairs and outside, he said.

Trigg said he lost many of his belongings in the fire, including computers and a cellphone. He escaped only with the clothes he wore. He and his wife are now staying at a relative's house in Nome.

"I'm just trying to get over what happened," Trigg said.

Nome city officials have requested an autopsy of Haugen's body from the state medical examiner. State fire inspectors were in Nome on Wednesday to investigate the fire's cause, officials said.

Alex DeMarban

Alex DeMarban is a longtime Alaska journalist who covers business, the oil and gas industries and general assignments. Reach him at 907-257-4317 or alex@adn.com.

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