Elementary school fire does not appear suspicious, say city officials

Updated at 11:49 p.m. on July 5, 2024.

The cause of a fire at Eagles View Elementary School on July 4 remains unknown but does not appear suspicious, according to a Thursday night statement from the City of Unalaska.

“The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but does not appear to be suspicious in nature,” the statement said.

The Unalaska Fire Department responded to an automatic fire alarm at the school at approximately 11:45 p.m. Wednesday.

Firefighters did not observe visible signs of fire from outside, but discovered smoke and elevated carbon monoxide levels upon entering the building.

A power outage originally complicated the response, but firefighters still managed to pinpoint the fire’s location.

“Fire crews successfully located and extinguished the fire, which originated in an air conditioning unit,” officials wrote in the statement.

The fire was extinguished and the building turned over to UCSD Superintendent Kim Hanisch.

Updated at 8:55 p.m. on July 4, 2024.

The City of Unalaska released a statement Thursday evening saying the cause of last night’s elementary school fire did “not appear to be suspicious in nature.”

The Unalaska Fire Department responded to an automatic fire alarm at Eagle’s View Elementary School around 11:45 Wednesday night.

Original story published July 4, 2024 at 12:35 a.m.

Firefighters responded to a fire at Eagle’s View Elementary Wednesday night shortly before midnight.

As of 12:35 a.m. the fire was still active in the elementary school’s ceiling, with five firefighters inside the building, according to Unalaska Fire Chief Ben Knowles.

The fire’s cause is unknown at the time of reporting and there is no reason to believe anyone was inside the building, as the doors were locked.