KOTZEBUE -- The state fire marshal's office is investigating as a possible arson a blaze that wiped out three homes in Kotzebue this month, a Department of Public Safety spokeswoman said Tuesday.
"We suspect it was intentionally set," said spokeswoman Beth Ipsen. A deputy fire marshal plans to visit Kotzebue next week to continue the investigation.
The fire, first reported just after midnight Sept. 5, began in a cluster of homes between Second Avenue and George Fox Way in Kotzebue, she said.
Kotzebue firefighters arrived within three minutes, Ipsen said. "By the time they got there, the first home was fully engulfed, and the other two homes were just starting to catch on fire."
Along with destroying three homes, the fire damaged a fourth and displaced 12 people, she said. One of the occupants injured his ankle escaping the fire, and a firefighter suffered smoke inhalation.
Ipsen declined to say what about the fire points to foul play. "It's still under investigation," she said. "We still have to do more interviews out there."
Anchorage Daily News / adn.com