Port-a-potty fire prompts temporary closure of Kincaid Chalet in Anchorage

A port-a-potty next to the Kincaid Chalet caught fire early Tuesday morning, setting the side of the structure ablaze and temporarily shutting down the building.

Automatic alarms at the chalet alerted the Anchorage Fire Department shortly after 1 a.m., Assistant Fire Chief Alex Boyd said. Four units responded to the area and found the port-a-potty on fire with flames creeping up along the siding of the chalet, Boyd said.

The building appeared to have a large, black scar along the side near the melted plastic port-a-potty.

Firefighters were able to get the fire under control in less than 20 minutes, he said. No one was inside the chalet when the fire began and there were no injuries.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation.

“It’s kind of a goofy one because nobody was there and there are so many causes that may have let that go,” Boyd said. “Everything from discarded smoking material, to intentionally set, to something we have yet to identify that was plugged in on the exterior of the building, things like that — there’s a lot of possibilities that they’re still working through.”

The chalet was closed Tuesday as park officials conducted an assessment of the damage, which appeared to be contained to the outside of the building, said Ellen Devine, a spokesperson for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Officials hoped to reopen the chalet Wednesday, Devine said, but if assessments were still ongoing it may not reopen until Thursday. There were no events or activities planned at the chalet Tuesday.

It’s too early to tell how much the damage will cost to repair or when such work might happen, she said.