A fire of undetermined origin gutted a classic home at 234 W. Oslund Drive on the evening of Feb. 2.
No one was hurt in the blaze that claimed most of the household possessions of longtime residents Dan and Joanna Egolf.
Damage is estimated at around $200,000.
Joanna Egolf said she left the house around 2 p.m. after spending time in a home office and doing some cleaning. A fireplace at the house was seldom used and not burning, she said. “We rarely ever used it. Nothing was burning.”
Haines Volunteer Fire Department staff was investigating the building’s electrical system, including tripped breakers in the fuse box, for clues about the source of the blaze. A light in a CD player reportedly had glowed unusually bright on the day of the fire, according to fire chief Brian Clay.
The location of heavily charred remains suggests the fire started in a main living area at the front of the two-story building, Clay said.
The home’s rear rooms and basement were considerably less burned than the living room area, Clay said. “The exact location and the cause haven’t been identified.” The building had baseboard heat.
An irregular burn pattern at first led to suspicion of possible arson, but the pattern was later attributed to burning ceiling panels falling onto the floor, Clay said. The state fire marshal, using photos, ruled out arson as a potential cause, he said.
The amount of damage is below the threshold that triggers a site visit investigation by the fire marshal.
Dan Egolf, a local tour operator and sporting goods store owner, said he had been in town during the afternoon and received a call about the fire at 5:45 p.m. He arrived home around 5:50 p.m., a few minutes ahead of firefighters. “It was totally engulfed.”
Fire chief Clay said the location of the building – tucked back off the road, behind trees at the end of a dead end – likely allowed the blaze to accelerate without notice.
“It was not visible from Main Street. Being at the end of the road, it took a while for people to see it. For three and half hours, it could have sat there, doing whatever it wanted to do. If it was in the middle of the hill on Young Road, you’d have had 30 calls right away,” Clay said.
The 1,600-square-foot house in the Modern Mountain design was built in 1957 by Dr. Bill Seig, a local dentist, using plans drawn up by a Juneau architect. Distinctive for its low-pitch roof, large front windows, and open floor plan, the design was copied to build some other Haines homes, Dan Egolf said.
Egolf said the home was designed for northern latitudes, and built to capture winter light. Its features included a stone fireplace crafted by oil painter Gil Smith.
Longtime resident Annette Smith said the home and one beside it were the highest homes on the Young Road hillside when they were built. The house next-door, built by Marty Cordes, had a similar design. “They were considered quite the nicest homes around,” Smith said.
Joanna Egolf said her family bought the house in 1992, after getting to know Seig’s wife Vera Smith. “Vera really wanted us to have that house. Dan always loved it.”
The Egolfs last week were unable to say what they planned to do after demolishing the building’s remains. “It’s sure a shame she had to go that way,” Joanna said. “She deserved better than that.”
Fire chief Clay said the building’s open floor design, as well as wood paneling, may have contributed to the fire spreading quickly and burning hot. “The (paneling) was part of the fuel load for the house. It was a raging fire when we got there.”
The house was last assessed in 2009 at a value of $117,300. It sits on a 1.46-acre lot.
A gofundme.com page has been started for the family. An account for the family also has been opened at the Haines bank.