Cause of Kodiak fire still a mystery as troopers work to identify victims

There is still no official word from authorities as to the identities of the victims of the fire yesterday morning at a remote Kodiak Island lodge that claimed one life and injured three. State Trooper spokesperson Megan Peters says Troopers made it to the site late Thursday evening, and are still working to identify the victim.

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The U.S. Coast Guard and emergency medical personnel transfer patients from a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to an ambulance in Kodiak, Alaska, June 2, 2016. The helicopter crew responded to a report of a fire at the Park's Cannery near Uyak Bay on Kodiak Island. (Courtesy photo by U.S. Coast Guard)
The U.S. Coast Guard and emergency medical personnel transfer patients from a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to an ambulance in Kodiak, Alaska, June 2, 2016. The helicopter crew responded to a report of a fire at the Park’s Cannery near Uyak Bay on Kodiak Island. (Courtesy photo by U.S. Coast Guard)

The blaze broke out around 4 a.m. at the Spirit of Alaska wilderness Adventures lodge in Uyak Bay, about 60 miles southwest of Kodiak City. Alaska State Troopers were unable to fly to the lodge Thursday because of poor visibility.

As a result of their delay, the cause of the fire is also unknown, but judging from photos from the U.S. Coast Guard, taken from a mid-morning overflight, it appears the lodge’s bunkhouse was consumed. According to the company’s website, it held four bedrooms and a kitchen.

The lodge is the former Parks Cannery, which closed in 1983.

Jay Barrett is the news director at KMXT in Kodiak.

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