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Fire Destroys Chernofski Drive Triplex

Unalaska Fire

A Dutch Harbor family is homeless this week after a fire destroyed their triplex home on Chernofski Drive early Monday morning.

The home is a total loss, says Unalaska fire chief ZacSchasteen, but nobody was injured in the blaze.

A propane tank attached to the residence is a suspected potential cause of the fire. An investigation is underway.

"We're not ruling anything out at this point," Schasteen said.

The fire spread up into the building's attic, where it burned for over nine hours.

Schasteen said the triplex was originally a duplex built in the 1940s. The attic ran the entire length of the building and was divided by a series of false walls, which created fire corridors. The building also had a tin roof that was placed on top of tar paper, making the fire difficult to extinguish.

The initial call came in at 12:10 a.m. The residents self-evacuated, while the Unalaska fire department responded with a fire engine, a ladder truck and an ambulance.

The fire was completely put out by 10 a.m.

No one was seriously injured in the fire, although one resident stepped on a nail while trying to get out. That resident was treated at the clinic and released.

The home belonged to the family that owns and operates the Airport Restaurant and Lounge. 

Doahn Thi Tran thanked neighbors, loved ones, firefighters and first responders in Facebook posts following the fire. 

"Dear all. Our family would like to thank everyone so much for the outpour of love and support during this hard time. Many have asked what they could help with. After our lives being saved, it's been hard to imagine what else we need. However, as we continue putting pieces of our life back together as best we can, these are the items that would be most helpful for us right now," Tran wrote in a post on the Dutchlist Facebook page, listing "clothing storage items such as hampers/baskets and rubber maid totes to help moving around easier while we seek housing options."

 

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Greta Mart worked for KUCB in 2015 and 2016.