Soldotna man escapes blaze, CES saves house

Central Emergency Services firefighters saved a residence from burning down early Monday morning after the garage attached to the home caught fire.

The two-car garage off Ciechanski Road was gutted by the blaze, and the attached two-story house sustained significant heat and smoke damage. The house was not destroyed, though, and no injuries were reported.

According to CES Fire Marshal Gary Hale, homeowner Gabe Juliussen was awakened by a smoke alarm ringing in his Soldotna home shortly after 3 a.m. Monday. Juliussen was alone at the time of the fire, as his wife and two daughters, ages 1 and 2, were visiting relatives in Washington.

Juliussen reportedly found the hallway outside the bedroom filled with smoke and attempted to call 911, but his telephone was dead. He left the house and drove to a nearby neighbor's home to call for help, Hale said.

Three of the five CES crew members were responding to a rollover accident near Tustumena Lake at the time, and Capt. Leslie Quelland and Engineer John Anderson were dispatched to the fire. Two volunteer firefighters, on-call chief Keith Hamilton and Mike Hancock, also responded to the call.

"With their help and the two incoming tankers, they were able to put a great stop on the fire and keep it from getting into the house," Hale said.

In all, one engine, three tankers, a medic unit and three command vehicles responded to the fire, as did an additional tanker from the Kenai Fire Department, according to Hale. The fire was declared under control within 31 minutes of the first engines arrival at the scene.

The garage sustained severe fire damage, and the house suffered heat and smoke damage. The family will be displaced from the home due to the heat and smoke damage inside the house as well as the lack of electricity and natural gas.

Fire investigators determined the origin of the fire, but its cause remains under investigation.