A fire destroyed Kivalina’s only store early Friday morning, leaving the northwest Alaska village of 400 without all the food and supplies that were stored there.
Colleen Swan with Kivalina’s volunteer fire department said she got the call around 1 o’clock Friday morning, but when firefighters arrived, the blaze had already engulfed the roof. Nothing could be done to save the store, so responders focused on preventing the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.
“There was an attempt to enter the building, but when they opened the door it was already smoking, so there was nothing that anyone could do even though they tried. The only thing they could do was keep the fire from spreading,” said Swan. “They did make an effort, but it was too late. There was nothing anyone could do to save the building.”
Troopers were notified at about 2 a.m. Friday, and are traveling to Kivalina to investigate the cause.
One volunteer firefighter was medevac’d after being sprayed with flame retardant, but has since returned home uninjured. The Red Dog Fire Department and the VPSO (Village Public Safety Officer) coordinator for Northwest Arctic Borough also responded to help.
Swan said the village’s entire stock of food and supplies was destroyed with loss of the store.
“That was the entire stock. The only thing that wasn’t touched was the warehouse where they had only hardware and non-food items. Everything else was in the building, and it was a total loss,” said Swan.
The Northwest Arctic Borough mayor, school superintendent, Maniilaq president, and NANA Regional Corporation president convened today to discuss a solution—seeking a location to set up a temporary store until a new one can be built. But Swan said that could take a long time, so the community is relying on donations.
“Right now, we’re relying on donations to give the people the stuff they need, like babies who need their formulas, elders who have special dietary needs, and other basic essential supplies that the people need,” said Swan.
Though many in the community subsist for food, the Kivalina store is the only local source for general products, like baby formula, milk, coffee and paper products. And for those on public assistance, it’s the only option for any type of purchase within the community.
Swan said donations can be sent to the City of Kivalina, and Bering Air has agreed to transport donations free of charge.
