The fire ignited hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a propane tank in the cabin – stored near the food supply. “It was like a war zone,” Mr Steele said.
He shovelled snow on the blaze for hours, but could not save the shelter.
He gathered what cans of food had survived – many had popped open in the heat, and he said all the food ended up tasting like burning plastic – and spent the first two nights in a snow cave. He then fashioned a basic tent from scraps of tarpaulin, built in a dome around the woodstove.
“It is by no means a cozy cabin that I was able to put together,” he said. “It just took the edge off.”
Image copyrightAFP PHOTO / ALASKA STATE TROOPERSImage caption The authorities rescued Tyson Steele by helicopter
M Steele managed to keep the wood stove burning by using tree bark and a candle he kept with him. He stamped a SOS sign in the snow, using ash to make the letters stand out, and made a trail to the frozen lake nearby where he thought a rescue plane could land.
“I’m not exactly trained. I’ve just always been in the outdoors,” he said. “Watched a lot of YouTube videos.”
He was eventually saved when his relatives concerned by his lack of contact asked authorities in Alaska to check up on him.
After his ordeal, Mr Steele said he would go back to see his family in Utah.
“They’ve got a dog,” he told officers, “And that would be some therapy.”
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