The City and Borough of Wrangell is lending Ketchikan an ambulance after a fire destroyed some of the town’s emergency equipment.
The fire burned early Tuesday morning inside one of the Ketchikan area fire stations – South Tongass Fire Department. It did not injure anyone.
Wrangell’s Borough Manager Mason Villarma said he was notified by the Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department Captain, Jordan Buness, that Ketchikan needed help.
“Jordan Buness came into my office and said, ‘hey, we need to send our ambulance down,'” Villarma said. “So we got the ambulance on the barge and now they have an ambulance that they can use.”
Wrangell has three ambulances in total. Villarma said that the city does have ample coverage and solutions in case an emergency happens while the ambulance is gone.
“I think that’s a great testament to our volunteer fire department and kind of give it back to some communities that really helped us during the landslide,” he said. “So just to note on that and thanking the volunteer fire department for being aware of surrounding community events and thinking of Ketchikan during a difficult time.”
Fire Chief Tim Buness said he’s not sure how long the South Tongass Fire Department will need the ambulance. He said it depends on the structural damage to the back of their ambulance that was in the fire.
“If the aluminum got hot and it’s warped and it’s not usable and whatever they have to do for replacement,” he said. “We haven’t really crossed that bridge yet.”
According to the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, a piece of equipment started the fire. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating.
