Fire destroys home on the Beam Road

By Diana Haecker |

A fire on mile one of the Beam Road completely destroyed the ATCO trailer home 77-year-old Paul Haskell and his dog were living in.
According to Nome Volunteer Fire Chief Jim West Jr., the fire department was called out on Sunday night. West said Paul Haskell had lit his fireplace and then noticed that fire was starting to burn the eaves of the ATCO trailer. Initially, he tried to put the fire out himself, by climbing up a ladder and dousing the flames with a cup and a 5-gallon bucket of water. Realizing that he needed help, he called the fire department. NVFD volunteers responded, putting out the fire with chemicals. After testing the building with a thermal imaging camera – the temperature read 60°F – the volunteers moved out around 2:30 a.m.
Fire Chief West advised Haskell not to sleep in the home due to the chemicals used in extinguishing the fire. Haskell heeded the advice, which may have saved his life. Haskell and his dog slept in the car and woke up when the ATCO trailer had erupted in flames again. On Monday morning, around 7:15 a.m. the fire department responded again. West said he thought first he’d be dealing with a tundra fire but soon saw that the entire trailer was engulfed in flames and it burned to the ground. According to West, Haskell and his dog remained unharmed.
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been organized and West said, he had contacted the Red Cross for assistance. According to the GoFundMe page, Haskell suffers from severe Parkinson’s disease and his friends are trying to raise $7,000 to buy a connex, insulate it and turn into a home before winter sets in. Haskell is also in need of clothes and personal items as all his belongings were destroyed in the fire. To donate go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/y2aghg-help-rebuild-pauls-home