1 dead in house fire on property in Talkeetna where forest fire broke out

PALMER – Alaska State Police said one person was found dead in a house fire near Talkeetna early Tuesday morning, the same spot where a fast-spreading wildfire broke out Saturday.

The Montana Creek Fire broke out Saturday afternoon near the Parks Highway and a crowded campground, but spread northwest, away from the highway and campers. A state fire official confirmed Tuesday that a vehicle fire sparked the blaze after flames caught and spread to a nearby black spruce.

Police spokesman Tim DeSpain said the house where the person was found dead in a fire early Tuesday morning “is the same location where the Montana Creek fire started.”

Both fires occurred on South Sled Dog Drive in Talkeetna, authorities say. It was not immediately clear if and how the two fires were related.

The cause of the fatal house fire was still being investigated on Tuesday, police said.

The incident was reported to emergency dispatch at 1:20 a.m., DeSpain said. There was no further information about the person found in the building and no one else was in the house, he said.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office responded to the fatal house fire, troopers said. The person’s body will be sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy and positive identification.

The Montana Creek Fire, about 25 kilometers south of Talkeetna, was still 40 percent contained on Tuesday with 90 firefighters on duty, according to a fire safety update from the state forestry agency.

According to fire department spokeswoman Kim Hemenway, firefighters had laid hoses around the entire fire area by Tuesday afternoon. Moderate humidity and lighter winds are forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday, Hemenway said.