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One person died in a house fire early Thursday in the western Kenai Peninsula village of Nikolaevsk, Alaska State Troopers said.
Multiple callers notified Soldotna emergency dispatchers about the fire at 3:25 a.m., troopers said in a dispatch Thursday. Nikolaevsk, a Russian Old Believer village of just over 300 people, was settled in the late 1960s.
Responders arriving at the scene around 4 a.m. found a single-story ranch home fully engulfed by fire, troopers said. Inside, they found the remains of one person. Firefighters got the fire under control just after 5 a.m., troopers said. No additional information was immediately available.
Volunteers from Kachemak Emergency Services and Anchor Point Volunteer Fire Department responded, along with Anchor Point-based troopers. The victim's remains were sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office for identification, troopers said.
A state fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.
Troopers have tentatively identified the victim and notified next of kin but are waiting for confirmation from the medical examiner to publicly identify the person, troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said.
It's too soon in the investigation to say whether the fire was accidental or intentional, Peters said.
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Reach Zaz Hollander at zhollander@adn.com or 257-4317.
By ZAZ HOLLANDER