A Fox homeowner woke to thieves stealing his copper and fuel. Then the shooting started.

Before dawn on Sunday, a homeowner in Fox, north of Fairbanks, woke to find people on his property, stealing copper, fuel, and other items. He went out to investigate. The intruders fired on him.

He fired back. The two burglars ran, and Alaska State Troopers — who got the call around 5 a.m. — say no one on either side appears to have been hit. The suspects were gone before troopers reached the property on Old Steese Highway, and D Detachment is still investigating. No one has been arrested.

Fox has no police force of its own. An unincorporated community outside Fairbanks, it relies entirely on state troopers, who cover an area larger than most countries with a limited number of officers. Copper and fuel, both easy to resell, are recurring targets for thieves across the Interior.

Troopers are asking anyone with information to call D Detachment or the Department of Public Safety dispatch line at 1-877-258-7667.