Person found dead after house fire in Selawik

A person was found dead in the debris of a burned house in the Northwest Alaska village of Selawik on Saturday morning, Alaska State Troopers said.

Troopers received a report of a fire that engulfed a residence shortly after 6 a.m., according to an online summary from the agency.

Local responders were searching for Selawik resident Lester Hingsbergen, 35, who was unaccounted for during the fire, troopers said. Three other people escaped the residence, with one of them suffering burns in their escape, said John Dougherty, troopers' spokesman.

At about 11:50 a.m., responders found human remains inside the debris of the burned house, troopers said. The State Medical Examiner’s Officer will identify the remains and determine the cause of death, Dougherty said.

The fire started early in the morning when most people were still asleep, Dougherty said. Several village volunteers drilled a hole in the Selawik River, set up a pump and a hose, and began to extinguish the fire, Dougherty said. Troopers, Alaska State Fire Marshals and Village Public Safety Officers from Kotzebue also responded, he said.

Visible flames were extinguished at about noon and the structure continued to smolder throughout Saturday, Dougherty said. The residence — a 1,000-square-foot dwelling — was a total loss, he said. A shed next to the residence was burned as well but no other buildings were threatened or damaged, he said.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation, troopers said.

Selawik, with a population of around 800, is about 70 southeast of Kotzebue.