By THE ALASKA STORY
Jan. 25, 2026 – One person was killed in an early-morning structure fire Sunday at the Uptown Motel in Kenai, marking the second significant lodging-facility fire in Kenai this month.
According to the Kenai Fire Department, crews were dispatched at 9:03 a.m. on Jan. 25 to a reported structure fire at the Uptown Motel, 47 Spur View Drive. When firefighters arrived, they observed smoke and flames coming from the first floor of the building.
The senior fire officer on scene established an aggressive interior attack, deploying crews to locate and extinguish the fire while simultaneously searching for any remaining occupants inside the structure.
As the fire attack team entered the room of origin, the blaze was quickly contained. During the search, firefighters discovered an unconscious occupant inside the room. Crews removed the individual through a window and transferred the person to personnel outside for immediate emergency medical care. The individual was transported by ambulance, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and the person was pronounced deceased. Law enforcement has notified next of kin.
Firefighters were able to confine the fire to the location of origin, preventing it from spreading to the rest of the building and saving the majority of the structure.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Assisting at the scene were the Kenai Police Department, Nikiski Fire Department, and Central Emergency Services.
The fatal Uptown Motel fire comes just days after a large structure fire at the Cannery Lodge in Kenai on the night of January 15. Â That blaze destroyed multiple buildings at the lodge complex, though the main lodge itself was saved. No guests or staff were injured in that incident, though one firefighter suffered a minor injury after slipping during operations. Multiple agencies responded amid difficult conditions.
Officials have not released the identity of the deceased occupant from the Uptown Motel fire. Further details will be released as the investigation continues, the fire department said.
