A Friday morning fire in the Ibex Valley reduced Mike Kolaritsh's cabin to ashes, says Bob Atkinson, the community's volunteer fire chief.

"Except for the little shed we had protected, the house itself was a total loss,” Atkinson said today. He received the emergency call at 9:30 a.m.

"The whole thing burned down,” he said.

Korlaritsh was alone in his cabin at the time and able to escape the fire, which he told firefighters was likely started by one of the cabin's two wood stoves, said Atkinson.

"We had three firefighters that responded and we got mutual aid from the city (of Whitehorse), who sent two more firefighters and a tanker,” Atkinson said.

When Atkinson turned off the Alaska Highway between kilometre 1452 and 1453 and arrived at Kolaritsh's cabin, it was already engulfed in flames.

So fire fighters turned their attention to a small shed containing Kolaritsh's tools, and it was saved from the blaze.

"It was one of those canvas tar sheds behind the house, that had some tools and equipment inside, so our priority was just to protect what was in there,” Atkinson explained.

Two fire fighters from the Hootlinqua Fire Hall also attended the fire, said Atkinson, "but by then, pretty much everything was under control, so I released them.”