Anchorage Daily News

FAIRBANKS -- Residents of Beaver were without power Monday after a fire destroyed the village power plant.

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Loss of the power plant left the village without electricity beginning at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. A small backup generator was being used to provide emergency communications.

The community remained without power Monday afternoon while work was under way to get power restored, said Robert Stewart, a program manager with the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Alaska State Troopers and the deputy state fire marshal both traveled to the roadless village, 110 miles north of Fairbanks along the Yukon River, on Sunday afternoon.

Nora Billy, a Beaver resident, said that the fire started around noon during the installation of a new generator.

"What I hear is that one little spark ignited the whole thing," she said.

Billy said that villagers had just finished fishing and have freezers full of fish. People were putting wet blankets and tarps over the freezers to keep the fish cool until the power comes back on, she said.

Residents turned out to help fight the fire and sprayed water on the nearby post office to keep it from burning, Billy said. The local volunteer fire marshal used heavy equipment in the village to protect the rest of the community.

There were no reports of injuries.

State emergency response agencies were activated Sunday because it appeared the fire could threaten residents and the village fuel storage area.

"The community contained the fire with the tools they had there," said John Madden, director of the Division of Homeland Security, in a news release. "Their efforts are admirable and demonstrate the resourcefulness of Alaskans who are faced with an emergency."

A representative from the Division of Homeland Security will assess the scene and assist in the recovery effort. Stewart said plans were to have a temporary generator and other equipment in the village by Monday afternoon, with power restored by late Monday.