Firefighters contained the Mount Vernon Commons blaze after it spread between units, while investigators worked to determine its cause.
ANCHORAGE, AK — One person was found dead Thursday after a large fire tore through part of the Mount Vernon Commons condominium complex in Midtown Anchorage, sending thick black smoke over the area and drawing a large response from the Anchorage Fire Department.
Firefighters responded shortly before 9:30 a.m. Oct. 22 to the complex near West 34th Avenue and Monticello Court. The fire spread to several units before crews subdued it within about 90 minutes, according to Anchorage Fire Department officials. The department later announced that a person had been found dead inside one of the burned units. The person’s identity had not been released, and officials had not announced a cause of death.
The Anchorage Fire Department sent 31 units from 10 locations to the scene, department official Jason Dolph told Alaska’s News Source. Firefighters arrived as flames were spreading through the multi-unit property. Reporters at the scene saw residents leaving homes in the area while a large column of smoke rose above Midtown.
Anchorage Fire Department spokeswoman Megan Peters told Alaska Public Media that the cause of the fire and its exact point of origin remained under investigation late Thursday morning. Firefighters continued working through damaged sections of the building after the main flames were brought under control, searching for areas where heat could cause the fire to flare again.
“They’re tearing out ceiling debris. They’re taking stuff out of the walls, trying to make sure that there’s no hot spots that are going to flare up,” Peters said. Crews also worked to recover personal belongings when they could safely do so as they moved through the damaged property.
The fire destroyed at least one condominium and spread into adjoining units, according to Alaska Public Media. Mount Vernon Commons is a roughly 15-acre condominium community near West 36th Avenue and Arctic Boulevard. The full extent of damage across the complex had not been released Thursday, and officials had not announced how many residents were displaced.
Bonnie Maffei, who watched firefighters work near her home with her granddaughter, told Alaska Public Media that crews had managed to save some oil paintings made by her mother before part of the structure collapsed. “I’m overwhelmed because that’s the only thing that’s important to me — are the paintings,” she said.
Peters said she had not heard of anyone being transported to a hospital with injuries. Officials also had not released information about whether pets were injured or missing. Authorities had not announced the number of people who were inside the affected units when the fire began.
The Anchorage Fire Department said Anchorage police were handling the investigation into the death. No information released Thursday established whether the person died directly from the fire, and authorities had not publicly identified the victim. The cause of the blaze also remained undetermined as fire crews completed overhaul work and investigators began examining the damaged units.
Author note: Last updated October 22, 2026.