A home in Sitka sustained fire damage this last week (8-20-26), but remains standing thanks to the quick action of a good Samaritan and local emergency responders.
Around 8:30 a.m. Thursday, a pedestrian on a morning walk spotted gray smoke coming from a home in the 700 block of Indian River Road. Fire Chief Brian McLaughlin said the passerby called 911, prompting around 15 fire department personnel to respond to the scene with two fire trucks and an ambulance.
McLaughlin said when they arrived, heavy smoke was billowing out of one of the first floor windows on the north side of the home.
“So we went around the other side of the house where the front door was, and began attacking the fire,” he said. “We found the fire to be in one of the first floor bedrooms, which was very, very much engulfed in fire at that point, and the house had filled pretty significantly with smoke throughout.”
McLaughlin said the crew knocked down the initial blaze, and then began working to vent smoke out of the house. After about two hours, first responders were able to secure the scene and return to the fire hall.
He said the home was vacant at the time of the fire, and the cause is currently under investigation. While the source of ignition is still unclear, he believes the fire started in the first floor bedroom which suffered significant damage.
“Throughout the rest of the house, there was smoke damage as well. So it’ll be a lot of cleaning and some significant repairs in that bedroom for sure,” he said.
“The person walking by, who saw the smoke and took the the minute to call us, saved that house,” he said. “If they if they just kept walking and forgotten about it, the house probably would have burned down. It would have gotten out of control.”
McLaughlin said don’t be afraid to call 911. He also asked that folks in the vicinity of a fire response keep a safe distance, and follow the instructions of emergency responders at the scene for their safety.
