WASILLA -- A fast-moving fire forced a Meadow Lakes resident to jump out a second-floor window after he returned inside his burning home to grab belongings, emergency officials say.
The fire, dispatched at about 9:30 a.m., started in the attic of a two-story wood home on West Peninsula Drive off Pittman road, according to West Lakes Fire Department Battalion Chief James Keel. A wood stove with inadequate clearance through the ceiling appeared to be the cause, Keel said. He recommended homeowners get professional help installing stoves and maintaining them. .
The resident, who rents the home, told responders he was tossing clothes and other possessions out a second-floor window when the fire intensified and the ceiling started collapsing on him, Keel said. "He was able to jump out of the second-story window onto a pile of belongings."
The man suffered only a slight injury to his hand, he said. He and another adult were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
Keel said there were flames coming through the roof and eaves when he arrived at the home. Central Mat-Su and Houston fire departments also responded.
He estimated the house suffered about $100,000 in damage.
American Red Cross of Alaska was providing help for the two adults and a teenager displaced by the fire.