Woman dies in Ketchikan apartment fire

A 34-year-old woman died Sunday in a Ketchikan apartment fire that left a 63-year-old man with critical injuries and several others checked for smoke inhalation, authorities say.

Both were in a lower-level apartment on Second Avenue when the fire started in the unit’s bathroom and burned through a door to a bedroom, according to an update Monday from the City of Ketchikan. Investigators with a joint fire and police department team are still investigating the cause of the fire, which officials say does not appear suspicious.

There were smoke detectors in the unit but they had been removed, city officials said Monday.

The woman’s cause of death is still being determined, according to the city’s update. The man was transported by air to Anchorage for treatment. His condition was described as “critical but improving” in the update.

Three residents of the apartment’s upper unit were evaluated, treated, and released at PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical center on Sunday for smoke inhalation, city officials said. Water damage prompted evacuations in several units, they said. The Ketchikan Fire Department Volunteers and the Ketchikan Fire Department Chaplain assisted the evacuees in obtaining shelter, clothing, and other necessities, according to the city.