A little before 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Kalean Rielly smelled smoke as she was alone at her mother’s house on Ross Way.
Rielly, 30, went down to the basement and saw smoke and flames, her mother Christina Ibias said later. Immediately, she called 911 and emergency vehicles came en mass to the white house. By 6 p.m., Capital City Fire/Rescue responders had the fire knocked down and were beginning their investigation, Assistant Chief Tod Chambers said.
Rielly escaped unharmed. Deputy Fire Marshal Sven Pearson said Thursday morning that it appears the fire began due to a portable heater being close to combustible materials, including a mattress, a wooden bed frame, bedding and carpet. Extension cord usage also appears to have been a factor, Pearson said.
Chambers said the cause does not appear to be intentional, and the investigation is still going on. Pearson said the damage is an estimated $5,000, and he doesn’t know if the house is insured.
After knocking down the flames, firefighters searched the house for a dog and two cats. They found the dog (who was also unharmed) but the two cats were still missing as of Wednesday night, Chambers said Thursday. Chambers said they believe the cats left the building during the incident due to the noise and activity of the responders.
Fire and water damage was limited to the basement, Pearson said. A Red Cross official was on the scene quickly, and Chambers said Red Cross staff did a good job working with the home owners to figure out the details of cleaning up the house.
Correction: A previous version of this article spelled the owner of the house’s last name as Bias. The correct spelling is Ibias. The Empire regrets this error.
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or alex.mccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.
