Home fire spurs Red Cross looking for volunteers in the area

The fire that burned a home on I Street in East Talkeetna on Thursday left owner Bob Johnson homeless and five of his dogs dead. One dog suffered burns and is still in treatment. Another dog remained unscathed as it was outside in a kennel at the time of the fire. Nancy Hall, the district manager for Red Cross of Alaska came to Talkeetna from Wasilla to help Johnson.

Hall said in cases of home fires, floods, earthquakes or other natural disasters, the Red Cross helps victims out by providing temporary shelter, toiletry and a debit-like card with an allowance for food and seasonal clothing. Hall said this week’s fire brought home the point that Talkeetna could benefit from a local Red Cross Disaster Action Team comprised of a few volunteers. Hall said that there are no Red Cross volunteers between Wasilla and Fairbanks and that a long response time for her to drive up to the Upper Susitna Valley means that fire victims have to wait for assistance. Hall also said that Talkeetna residents immediately chipped in to organize help for Johnson. One of those helping out is Suzy Kellard. She said that Johnson’s immediate need is to find a place to stay. She also said that at the moment, monetary donations could be dropped off at the “Latitude 62 Lodge.”

Fire fighters on Friday said that the fire most likely originated in the vicinity of an oil-fired monitor heater, but the exact cause of the fire has not been determined. The state’s fire marshal won’t be investigating because the property loss is less than the amount that would trigger an official investigation.