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Alaska investigators suspect fires being set intentionally

Last Updated Mar 27, 2020 at 9:14 am MDT

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — Alaska fire investigators are looking at the possibility that recent fires at vacant homes were intentionally set.

The Fairbanks Fire Department responded to a house fire Wednesday that took three hours to extinguish, KTVF-TV reported Thursday.

A firefighter suffered minor injuries and was treated at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.

The home appeared to be vacant and squatter activity had been reported, the city of Fairbanks said in a statement.

The Fairbanks Fire Department is seeking information in its investigation of the fire that had already engulfed the first floor of the structure when firefighters arrived early Wednesday morning.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze with the help of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Fire Department and Fort Wainwright Fire and Emergency Services.

Evidence at the scene suggests the fire may have been set intentionally, the city’s statement said.

The fire was the latest in a series of blazes around Fairbanks that happened under suspicious circumstances and are suspected of being intentional, KTVF-TV reported.

Previous fires have happened in Fairbanks locations known to be or suspected of being places where transients congregate.

The Associated Press