No injuries, after Anchorage fire crews battle large Midtown commercial building blaze

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - No one was hurt or killed by a large Midtown Anchorage commercial building fire that was sparked around 7 a.m. Saturday, where large plumes of black smoke could be seen across the city.

The blaze — which burned along the 500 block of Potter Drive — happened in a building that contained a mix of businesses including automotive shops.

“There are no reports of injuries or fatalities associated with this,” Assistant Fire Chief Alex Boyd said, although two people were evacuated from a nearby apartment building during the blaze over safety concerns.

The large fire, Boyd said, took about 90 minutes to get under control with as many as 22 units, including engines, trucks, rescue, ambulances, investigators and command staff on the scene early in the day. The building was declared a total loss.

On Monday morning, the fire department said the building needs to be stabilized before anyone can safely enter it, including investigators.

“The property was turned back over to a representative of the property owner,” a department spokesperson said in an email response. “The representative is aware that it is their responsibility to secure the property and keep people out of the fire scene.”

The spokesperson said there is no timeline for when that might occur, nor is there a damage estimate for the building itself or the businesses that were housed there.

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