Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

State and local authorities said Thursday they have recovered human remains from the site of a house fire near 270 Mile Richardson Highway.

Investigators said they believe the remains are those of the owner, Richard J. Reesher, 49.

Firefighters were called to the scene of a structure engulfed by fire shortly after 10:30 p.m. Monday, according to Alaska State Troopers.

After battling the blaze for several hours, they returned the next day to extinguish even more fires. A 500-gallon fuel tank started leaking and feeding additional fires, Delta Junction Fire Chief Carin Bear said.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, though Reesher was known to keep many candles in the residence. There were apparently recent problems with a wood-burning stove as well.

A large pile of logs complicated efforts to search through the debris.

“It was necessary to get a front-end loader to move things to even begin to get control of the fire,” Bear said.

The Rural Deltana and Fort Greely fire departments assisted in putting out the fire.

The remains have been sent to the state medical examiner in Anchorage for final identification.

Contact staff writer Chris Freiberg at 459-7545.