Fire engulfs mobile home at Auke Bay RV Park, homeowner escapes unharmed

Firefighters make quick knockdown after arrival, but trailer sustains severe damage

A mobile home severely damaged by a fire on Friday, April 3, 2026. (Capital City Fire/Rescue)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

An Auke Bay mobile home sustained severe damage in a fire Friday night, although a person sleeping inside when it started escaped unharmed, according to Capital City Fire/Rescue.

The department, in a post on its Facebook page at 12:26 a.m. Saturday, stated seven response vehicles were sent to the fire reported Friday evening at Auke Bay RV Park at 11930 Glacier Hwy.

"Crews arrived on scene to find an active fire and made a quick knockdown, preventing further extension," the post notes. It adds "the homeowner was asleep at the time of the fire and was able to escape unharmed."

Danielle Henderson, who lives with her family in a next-door mobile home, stated in a text message to the Juneau Independent on Saturday morning she noticed a smoke smell while trying to fall asleep shortly before midnight and saw her neighbor’s home on fire when she went to close a vent in the bathroom. Her partner grabbed their baby while she grabbed a car seat and the child’s blanket.

"We got out and into our car as the firetruck was pulling up," she wrote. They drove to a back area of the RV park, saw their neighbor escape his home safely, and "we just stayed in our car away from the fire (afraid our newly filled propane tanks would blow because they were so close to the fire)."

Henderson stated her family left the RV park after the fire was out and spent the night at her in-laws’ house, returning on Saturday morning to find minimal damage to their mobile home.

Photos from Henderson and the fire department show the trailer that caught fire sustained heavy damage to its roof, walls, windows and interior.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to CCFR.

CCFR’s notice also urged residents to "make sure your smoke detectors are working and have fresh batteries. Early detection saves lives."

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.