Explosion at Point MacKenzie destroys maintenance facility

Three explosions went off at Point MacKenzie this morning and a maintenance building burned to the ground. According to Patty Sullivan, Mat Su Borough spokesperson, an employee of Fairbanks Natural Gas Company reported an explosion at 7:16 a.m. Deputy Fire Chief Mike Keenan reported a second explosion as he was enroute to the scene before 8 a.m.

The gas company is at mile 2.5 Ayrshire Road in the rural Point MacKenzie area. Firefighters from Central Mat-Su Fire Dept. responded. One neighbor reportedly evacuated his home. At the peak of the fire, two engines, three tankers, a hazardous materials team, and a rescue team were on scene.

The fire is outside of the Central Mat-Su’s protection area. The State Fire Marshal will be on scene investigating the cause of the explosion. After 9 a.m. firefighters pulled back from the scene a quarter of a mile away when they witnessed a third explosion of a small gas tank on a truck that had been inside the burning building. The truck had been venting as the building burned and likely had vented all its gas.

As of 10 a.m. the fire was burning the debris of the building and the cool temperatures of 7 degrees were keeping the fire in check.

There are no reported injuries from the accident.