Man dies in fire at Switzer Village Mobile Home Park

Mark Sabbatini
Dec 20, 2025
2 min read

Updated: Dec 27, 2025

Cause remains under investigation, according to JPD

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

A Juneau man died in a residential fire Saturday night at Switzer Village Mobile Home Park, according to officials and a relative at the scene.

Update: Calvin Olsen, 38, who built up a tribal auto detailing business, dies in mobile home park fire

The fire was reported to the Juneau Police Department at about 7:30 p.m., according to an information release issued by the department Sunday morning. The fire occurred to a structure at the mobile home park across Glacier Highway from the U-Haul Moving and Storage of Lemon Creek.

Sam Russell, an assistant fire chief for Capital City Fire/Rescue, stated in an email to the Juneau Independent on Sunday that while en route "units were advised of that there may be a person inside the building."

Arriving firefighters found the mobile home engulfed "with significant flames and smoke, and possible extension to the neighboring mobile home," according to Russell.

"Based on visible fire conditions the majority of the home had reached a flashover stage," he wrote.

Firefighters determined the fire involved only the one mobile home and worked to extinguish the external flames, but "due to cluttered conditions inside, primary search and interior fire control were slowed," Russel wrote. "Operations transitioned to entering rooms from the exterior by cutting window openings down to the floor for access."

"The team working the interior from the front door found a fire victim," he added. "Additional teams were deployed to assist with victim removal. The victim was assessed as soon as they were outside the building, with no signs of life or viability for resuscitation."

Street access to the immediate area within the park was cut off during the multi-hour containment and investigation by emergency responders.

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

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