BETHEL -- A fire early Friday in the Western Alaska village of Tununak destroyed a home and a child is missing, Alaska State Troopers said.
"The house is completely burnt to the ground," troopers reported Friday afternoon. The fire had been reported to troopers at 1:21 a.m. Friday. A young child was unaccounted for, the troopers online dispatch said.
Troopers from Bethel flew to the village of about 325 people Friday. Two investigators from the state fire marshal's office also were headed there.
Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said the investigation is ongoing and will take time. Lloyd Nakano, acting fire marshal, said investigators will be working through the weekend.
The Association of Village Council Presidents is in contact with the village to provide the family whatever they need, said Myron Naneng, AVCP president.
The village doesn't have a fire department registered with the fire marshal's office, Nakano said. It also doesn't have a village public safety officer. Calls to tribal offices Friday weren't answered and messages weren't returned.
Residents had fire hoses and a pump, but couldn't get close to the house at first because of nearby fuel tanks, which eventually blew, said Brandon Wall of Wasilla, who was in the village working on a school renovation project. The connectors on the hoses didn't fit the pump and the local crew spent about 20 minutes rigging them while the fire burned, he said. The crews wouldn't have been able to move in faster anyway, because of the danger from the tanks, he said. But the struggle may signal a need for village fire drills, Wall said.
Tununak is on Nelson Island, about 520 miles northwest of Anchorage.