2Dawson Fire Chief Jim Regimbal said firefighters were called out to a fire on 7th Avenue around 6:30 a.m.
When they arrived about six minutes later, the back corner of the home was fully engulfed and the flames were licking the siding of the neighbour’s home.
Regimbal said the homeowner had gone to work for the day, leaving her son, in his 20s, asleep.
A passerby heard the smoke alarm ringing and saw someone moving around inside, Regimbal said.
The man inside had been “asleep and likely a little bit affected by the smoke,” the fire chief said. By breaking the window the Good Samaritan was able to help the man to safety.
There’s no question that the story could have ended differently, Regimbal said.
“It could have definitely been a lot worse,” the chief said. “If it were not for the Good Samaritan we would have definitely had a rescue or pulled a body out.”
Instead, the man only suffered from some minor cuts and smoke inhalation.
Neither the man’s name nor the name of his rescuer has been made public.
The home is a write-off, Regimbal said. He pegs the damage at about $300,000.
It took fire crews about six hours to put out all of the flames.
Volunteer fire crews from the Klondike Valley fire station came to help put things out.
The exact cause is still being investigated. But Regimbal said he’s confident it was an accident.
Contact Ashley Joannou at
ashleyj@yukon-news.com