Man dies in fire at police building in Western Alaska

Updated: 15 minutes ago Published: 15 minutes ago

A man being held at the Mountain Village Police Department died early Friday when the building caught fire, Alaska State Troopers said.

As of Friday afternoon, few details about the fire were known.

Two men were arrested when the fire broke out in the building and one was safely evacuated, cops said. The other man was found dead, they said. The emergency services said they were informed of the fire around 6:30 a.m

A village police officer was treated for minor injuries at Bethel Hospital, officials said. The Yukon River community of Mountain Village is located approximately 110 miles northwest of Bethel.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire or where it came from. According to police, the Alaska State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating.

A police spokesman declined to answer further questions Friday, including why the men were arrested, how many people were in the building when the fire broke out and whether foul play was suspected.

Police said they would publicly identify the deceased once he had been positively identified and his next of kin notified.

At least 24 people have died in fires in Alaska so far this year.