The Anchorage Fire Department responded to a fire at a homeless camp in Anchorage's Chester Creek greenbelt early Tuesday morning in which multiple propane explosions set the camp and surrounding trees ablaze.
A call came in regarding the incident at roughly 12:50 a.m., AFD investigator Brian Balega said.
Multiple explosions were heard at the site, which Balega described as a 20-by-20-foot homeless camp built in a wooded area on an elevated platform roughly 10 feet from the Salvation Army's McKinnell House, an emergency shelter on A Street.
When firefighters arrived, they found a "heavy fire" burning in a 10-by-10-foot area. Spruce, alder and the contents of the homeless camp were all ablaze, Balega said.
A camp stove appeared to have exploded, Balega said. In addition, there was "evidence of multiple propane explosions," Balega said.
It was unclear what circumstances started the fire; whether the camp stove malfunctioned or propane was being stored too close to the stove, Balega said.
No injuries were reported to the Anchorage Fire Department, Balega said.