Community concerned after 2 die in Alaska village jail fire

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Community members are concerned about the safety of Alaska village holding jails after a man and woman recently died locked in their cells as the Napakiak jail burned.

The Anchorage Daily News reports that 24-year-old Becca White and 22-year-old Isaiah Parka died early Sunday in the blaze.

Alaska State Troopers say a guard was severely injured trying to save the inmates. Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters says they had been arrested by a village police officer employed by the tribe.

Authorities say residents of the Kuskokwim River village tried to fight the fire by pumping river water and using a garden hose to extinguish the flames.

Troopers say the incident was the first time in more than 30 years a person has died in a fire in an Alaska jail.
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Information from: Anchorage Daily News, http://www.adn.com