Anchorage Fire: Grandmother Jumps to Safety, 10 Displaced

A grandmother in Anchorage, Alaska, jumped from a second-story window to escape a fire that broke out at an apartment complex on Wednesday, displacing approximately 10 residents, according to reports from KTUU and Alaska’s News Source.

Excelia Hendrickson, a resident of the Mountain View neighborhood complex, recounted the harrowing experience, describing how she had just picked up her six-year-old son from school when she noticed smoke rising nearby. “And I thought it was coming from down the alley, but then I actually looked and I saw all the black smoke in the sky and I just screamed, ‘Can you keep my son, please?’ and I darted,” Hendrickson said.

Her immediate concern was for her mother, Christina Sallison, who had recently indicated she was going to rest. “She said she was going to lie down and then she started smelling something and then the alarms started going off,” Hendrickson explained. Upon returning to the building, Hendrickson witnessed her mother’s desperate escape.

“I was kind of afraid to jump, but I’m glad there was snow, a lot of snow, just landed on there,” Sallison said, expressing relief at the cushioning effect of the snow. “Thank God.”

The Anchorage Fire Department responded to the scene and confirmed that two adults were treated for smoke inhalation. The fire caused damage to all seven units within the building, leaving multiple families without homes.

The Alaska Red Cross established a shelter at the Fairview Rec Center to provide assistance to those affected. Kelin Hickey of the Alaska Red Cross stated that the shelter would remain open to support displaced residents until they secure alternative housing. “So we are going to remain open until all of those clients no longer demand our support,” Hickey said.

Hendrickson, her son, and her mother were among four individuals and a dog who spent Wednesday night at the shelter. The extent of their displacement, and the timeline for finding new housing, remains uncertain.