Suspicious fires destroy dance hall, damage village building

KOTLIK, Alaska (AP) - The state fire marshal office will investigate two suspicious fires in the southwest Alaska village of Kotlik, including one that destroyed the community’s dance hall.

Alaska State Troopers just before 5 a.m. Monday took a call that the dance hall was on fire and volunteers were trying to extinguish it.

Two hours later, a fire was reported in a building near the Kotlik AC Store. The second fire was immediately extinguished.

No one was injured in the fires.

Kotlik is a village of 640 people about 165 miles (265 kilometers) northwest of Bethel and 460 miles (740 kilometers) northwest of Anchorage.