The Unalaska Department of Public Safety responded to a fire in the laundry room of the Grand Aleutian Hotel yesterday evening. The 911 call was received shortly before 5 o’clock, and a fire truck was on the scene within 6 minutes.

Deputy Chief Jennifer Shockley said responders found an active fire and black smoke. The building’s sprinkler system had been activated.  “They were able to get in there, determine that the source of the fire was a large commercial dryer, and get the fire put out,” she said. “I want to say the fire was extinguished in less than 10 minutes after they arrived.”

The fire was contained to the laundry room and did not spread anywhere else in the building. Shockley says that water and smoke damage appear to be limited to the laundry room and the surrounding area.

A staff member trained in arson investigation has inspected the scene, and Shockley says there is no reason to believe the fire was anything but an accident.

Hotel guests and staff were already being evacuated when responders arrived, and the emergency response was quick and effective. “It was a rapid response on our part,” Shockley said. “The fire got extinguished rapidly. The hotel had done the things that they needed to do in terms of getting the evacuation started. That’s great, it says really good things about the Grand Aleutian staff and dealing with a fire alarm.”

Of the eight fire and EMS responders at the scene, Shockley especially thanked the six who were volunteers from the community.