Fire destroys Whitefish duplex

A duplex in Whitefish was destroyed by fire early Sunday morning, displacing nine people.

“There were nine residents that all escaped unharmed,” said Whitefish Fire Chief Tom Kennelly. “The building was a total loss.”

Firefighters were dispatched to the duplex at 1963 Ridge Crest Drive at about 3 a.m.

When they arrived the building was fully engulfed in flames, Kennelly said. Kalispell, Evergreen and Columbia Falls fire departments provided mutual aid.

Kennelly said the cause of the fire is undetermined but it apparently started in the building’s lower level.

One resident heard a noise from the deck area and thought it might be a bear, Kennelly said.

“When they woke up fully they noticed flames coming up on the outside of the building from the deck area” on the lower level, he said.

One unit was being rented by a couple on vacation and the other was occupied by seven people, including three children, Kennelly said. The Red Cross was notified.

Because the duplex was located in a forested urban interface area south of the Iron Horse Golf Course, firefighters also had to contend with spot fires triggered by embers from the structure fire.

“In the afternoon, we asked for assistance from the DNRC on one of the larger spot fires,” Kennelly said, noting that there were even a couple of spot fires that required a firefighting response Monday morning.