The Ketchikan Police Department and the Ketchikan Fire Department are seeking information about a fire that engulfed the American Legion Hall in downtown Ketchikan at about 1:21 am on Sunday.
“We are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has video surveillance footage of the area to come forward with information. Your cooperation could be instrumental in helping us determine the cause of the fire and ensure the safety of our community,” the police department said.
Update: Police arrested Joseph Schacher Jr., 28, and he is currently jailed at the Ketchikan Correctional Center. He has been in trouble with the law previously for assault, harassment, and violating conditions of release.
The Joseph T. Craig American Legion Post 3, more than 100 years old, was pouring smoke out of its attic space, causing fire alarms in the neighborhood to go off, when fire crews arrived. The inferno was fought for hours.
Ketchikan Fire Department was aided by the North and South Tongass Volunteer Fire Departments. One firefighter ended up at the hospital due to shortness of breath, but police say that no one was believed to be in the building at the time of the fire.
In photos posted online, it appears that the American flag quilt that hangs on the wall was still standing and recognizable.
