Firefighters responded to an East Anchorage neighborhood late Monday evening and quickly controlled a house fire.
A resident of a house on Old Harbor Road, just west of Muldoon Road, realized a fire had sparked in the wall behind a gas-fired fireplace. They called for help at 11:25 p.m., and units arrived on scene within five minutes.
To get to the fire, firefighters needed to tear into the wall, which enabled the 11 responding units to control the flames by 11:40 p.m.
No one was injured, though it remains unclear how much damage was done.
Battalion Chief Kevin Keene said the home's working smoke detector made all the difference.
"People go to bed, and without a smoke detector going off, they don't wake up," Keene said. "Just the smoke will not wake you up."
The temperature on scene Monday evening was 4 degrees, another factor that increases the risk of home fires, Keene said. As temperatures dip, people crank up their heating systems and put their fireplaces to use.
"Just taking time to make sure everything is in good working order, that makes a big difference," he said.
Officials also recommend people take time to install and maintain carbon monoxide detectors.
A carbon monoxide leak in November claimed the life of a Meadow Lakes woman and hospitalized four of her family members.