Alaska News

Investigation underway into fatal Kenai Peninsula house fire

The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of a fire in Soldotna that left a man dead last week, a spokesman for the Alaska State Troopers said Monday.

A person in the area noticed the fire early Thursday and called for help, troopers spokesman Austin McDaniel said. Troopers said they were notified just after 5 a.m. that crews from the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s Central Emergency Services were responding. Firefighters found the home fully engulfed in flames, troopers said. Crews trying to extinguish the blaze found one person dead inside, they said.

Troopers in November identified the person who died in the fire as 73-year-old Dan Vernon Dacus.

A deputy fire marshal responded to the scene.

The person who died, who was believed to have lived at the home, had not yet been positively identified as of Monday, McDaniel said. No one else was in the home when it caught fire, he said.

The home was a total loss, according to troopers.

Tess Williams

Tess Williams is a reporter focusing on breaking news and public safety. Before joining the ADN in 2019, she was a reporter for the Grand Forks Herald in North Dakota. Contact her at twilliams@adn.com.

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