Nov. 17 – A person was found dead Saturday morning in the rubble of a burned home in the northwest Alaska village of Selawik, Alaska State Troopers said.
According to an online summary from the agency, officers received a report of a fire that destroyed a home shortly after 6 a.m.
Local responders were searching for Lester Hingsbergen, a 35-year-old Selawik resident who went missing during the fire, troopers said. Three other people escaped from the home, with one of them suffering burns during their escape, said John Dougherty, spokesman for the troopers.
At about 11:50 a.m., emergency responders found human remains in the rubble of the burned home, troopers said. The state medical examiner will identify the remains and determine the cause of death, Dougherty said.
The fire started early in the morning when most people were still sleeping, Dougherty said. Several village volunteers drilled a hole in the Selawik River, installed a pump and hose and began extinguishing the fire, Dougherty said. Troopers, Alaska State Fire Marshalls and Village Public Safety Officers from Kotzebue also responded, he said.
Visible flames were extinguished by noon and the structure continued to smolder throughout Saturday, Dougherty said. The home — a 1,000-square-foot home — was a total loss, he said. A shed next to the home was also burned, but no other buildings were threatened or damaged, he said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, police said.
Selawik, with a population of about 800, is located about 70 southeast of Kotzebue.
This is a development story. Check back for more information.
