Anchorage

Man found dead in Eagle River house fire

A man was found dead after his Eagle River house went up in flames Friday night. The Anchorage Police Department identified the victim Saturday night as 57-year-old Anthony Fuentes.

Anchorage Fire Department spokesman John See said the first 911 call came in at 6:47 p.m. and they dispatched 15 units to the house on West Parkview Terrace Loop, near Gruening Middle School.

AFD paramedic captain Delbert Simineo said responders were on the scene within minutes. The 911 caller had said a person might be trapped inside the burning house, so responders initially searched the main living area, Simineo said. They eventually found Fuentes' body in the garage, which Simineo said was "strange."

Flames were shooting out from under the melted garage door when responders arrived, Simineo said, adding that the fire appeared to have started there and shot up into the attic. He estimated that half the house had been destroyed.

By 8 p.m., the fire had been extinguished and dozens of responders, including an AFD chaplain, were on the scene. A body could be seen under a white sheet in the garage next to the burned remnants of a car.

Simineo said Fuentes was the only person in the house at the time, as far as he knew. Anchorage police have notified his family.

According to See, fire investigator Brian Balega was on the scene and told See he expected to be there "all night."

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Anchorage police said Saturday night.

Megan Edge

Megan Edge is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News.

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