Isaiah Parka
Isaiah Parka, 22, was a close friend of Becca White, who died in the same fire, according to her sister, and the Napakiak city administrator described the two as best friends. His brother set up an online fundraiser so the family could travel to Napakiak for his funeral. Early on Sunday, April 28, 2019, a fire engulfed the village jail in Napakiak, Alaska, where he was held in a locked cell he could not get out of. Residents fought the blaze with river water and a garden hose, and a guard was seriously injured trying to unlock the cells. Alaska State Troopers said the fire started on a mattress in one cell and that it remains unclear how the means to start it got inside, and the cause is still under investigation.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined. Alaska State Troopers said a fire started on a mattress in a detainee's cell, a jail guard told troopers a prisoner set it, and the cause is still under investigation by a fire marshal and the Alaska Bureau of Investigation.
Reported by: Alaska State Troopers (outside investigators); jail guard's account to troopers (the agency that held him); news report.