Alaskans over 60 account for 58% of fire deaths in 2020

Adults 65 and over are twice as likely to be killed or injured in a fire compared to the rest of the population. By the time they reach 75, the risk increases to three times and quadruples at age 85. The US Fire Administration reported 379,600 residential building fires in 2018, 50.7% cooking related, 9.4% heating, 7.5% unintentional, and 6.8% electrical. There were 3,810 fire deaths, 52.5% over the age of 60. Alaskans are not immune to these statistics. In 2018, 16% of the reported fire fatalities were over 60 while 19% were reported in 2019. The numbers increased to 58% in 2020. The causes of the fires were centered around careless smoking and combustibles too close to a heat source.
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Anchorage police officer injured in collision; 19-year-old driver charged with OUI

A police officer had to be extracted from her patrol car in East Anchorage early Monday after an SUV collided with it and pushed it into a traffic pole, APD said. Cody Peterson, 19, was southbound on Boniface Parkway in a 2007 Toyota 4Runner at 3:11 a.m. when he ran a red light at DeBarr Road and struck the patrol car, police said in an online statement. The officer was eastbound on DeBarr Road and had a green light. Two on-duty medics from the Anchorage Fire Department witnessed the crash and assessed both drivers, police said. Peterson did not appear to be injured. Firefighters cut the officer from the vehicle, which police said was heavily damaged. The officer was brought to a hospital for a head injury, and police said she has been released.
Anchorage Daily News