VIDEO: Fires across Anchorage have been in the headlines in recent weeks, and according to the city’s fire chief, structure fire numbers are slightly down, while outdoor fire numbers are up across recent years. “We are having fewer fires this year than we’ve had in recent years. Structure fires are down just a little bit. On the other hand, outdoor fires are really up from the previous three years,” Anchorage Fire Chief Doug Schrage explained.
On average, Schrage said the department responds to one working structure fire every day through out the year. In the past few years, there has been an average of 20 fire fatalities in homes each year. Schrage said a “very low percentage” of them had smoke alarms. “A working smoke alarm would have enabled people to escape, and therefore we wouldn’t have had those fire fatalities,” Schrage said.
