A 46-year-old Colorado man fell to his death near College Cove recently, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. A Coast Guard helicopter helped retrieve the body of Anthony Wayne Hodson on Saturday, Aug. 15 after the sheriff’s office was notified. Officials believe Hodson fell about 75 feet from cliffs above where he was found. […]
Emergency
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Here’s How to Show Some Love for Our Firefighters
Fires are still raging in Gasquet, Hayfork, Alderpoint, Ruth Lake and many other locations. If you want to help firefighters and evacuees, Pay It Forward Humboldt is coordinating donations of non-perishable food, sleeping bags, tarps and N95-certified breathing masks. They ask that people do not donate clothes, but consider donating directly to volunteer fire departments in […]
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Protect Your Lungs, Humboldt
Even those of us far away from the fireline have been impacted by the smoke and haze hovering over much of Humboldt County. If you washed layers of ash off of your car last week, consider what that stuff will do to the inside of your lungs! The North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District […]
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Hotels Hosing Our Heroes?
As fires rage in Mad River, Happy Camp, Gasquet and along State Route 36, state and federal agencies are scrambling to get boots on the ground. Firefighters and support personnel arrive at the local airport every day, to spend the night in Eureka before heading out to the fireline. The problem? Many haven’t been able […]
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UPDATE: Death behind Bayshore Mall
The Eureka Police Department has confirmed that Kenneth Eldeen, who was found unconscious in the encampment behind the Bayshore Mall on June 24, died from an overdose. His death was originally deemed suspicious because of an alleged altercation Eldeen had with another marsh resident earlier that evening. Eldeen, nicknamed “Hillbilly” by his friends, was originally […]
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UPDATE: Names of Firefighters Killed in Crash Released
From the California Highway Patrol: UPDATE: The two U.S. Forest Service firefighters that died in this traffic collision have been identified as 29 year old Dale Alexander Mendes of Willow Creek (Driver) and 19 year old Jason Fritz Price, Jr. of Weitchpec (Right front passenger). Previously: The firefighters ¬— whose names haven’t been released — […]
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Reported Drowning in Willow Creek would be Eighth of 2015
The grim toll of this year’s drowning deaths may rise, according to the Humboldt County Coroner’s office, which announced in a press release that a 33-year-old Oregon man, Justin Russell Lawrence Bennich, was pulled from the water at Willow Creek’s Kimtu swimming hole after becoming unresponsive on July 4. Chief Deputy Coroner Ernie Stewart said […]
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Homeowners Allege Firefighters in Saddle Fire Endangered Lives, Property
A backburn lit by an incident team on the Saddle Fire reversed direction on June 12, jumping the county road to burn 150 acres of private land and threaten the lives of three Hyampom residents. “We asked them not to light the backburn,” said Jennifer Lance, whose husband, Richard Collins, beat the blaze away from […]
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CALFIRE Academy: Drama, Trauma & Baby Dolls
CALFIRE’s third and final seasonal firefighter training of the year took place last week at the Hilkfiker Training Site. What are they training for? Everything. Literally every scenario that might require their response, from a burning school bus to running up six flights of stairs in full protective gear. On the day we visited, returning […]
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Seventh Drowning Death of 2015: Don’t Assume a Shallow River is a Safe River
The May 27 drowning death of Brian H. Hone in the Trinity River was the seventh such incident in 2015. Hone, 27, was overcome by the swift current immediately after jumping in, according to the accounts of his two friends. They attempted to rescue Hone but were also overwhelmed and struggled to make it back […]
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Who’s Going to Put Out the Fire? Volunteer Firefighters Aging Out of the Service
The ranks of volunteer fire departments are dwindling for lack of fresh faces. The New York Times reported on this trend last year, citing several factors including a shift from volunteer to career firefighting, lack of time for volunteering and the aging of rural populations. This last factor has had a decided impact on departments […]
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CHP Can’t Pinpoint Cause of Fatal Bus Crash
After a 13-month investigation, the California Highway Patrol has determined a FedEx driver was at fault in the deadly bus crash that killed 10 people, including five high school students on their way to Humboldt State University’s Spring Preview event last April. The investigation found that the FedEx driver made an unsafe turning movement on […]