Losses now estimated at $20 million or more
The Arcata City Council will hear an update Friday on the Jan. 2 fire that leveled a city block and consider ratifying City Manager Merritt Perry’s declaration of a local emergency to open up access to state and federal assistance.
The 8 a.m. special meeting will take place in the council chambers at city hall and will also be available by phone or on Zoom, Access Humboldt Channel 10, online at the city’s website and the city’s YouTube channel. Find more information here.
According to the staff report, eight apartments and seven businesses were destroyed in the afternoon blaze, including Dandar’s Boardgames and Books, Northtown Books, Global Village Gallery, Vanilla Sky Co., Tenth Street Studios — housing the works of four local artists — as well as Hensel’s candy, kitchen and paint shops. Read more about fundraising efforts and other ways to help those impacted in this week’s story, “Coming to Arcata’s Aid.”
Five other businesses received minor damage and others suffered losses due to the ensuing power and gas shutoffs. Damage is now estimated at $20 million or more, the staff report states.
According to the local emergency resolution before the council, the purpose is to initiate the city’s “emergency organization, authorize the exercise of extraordinary police powers, permit the issuance of emergency orders and regulations, provide immunity for emergency actions as authorized by law, and facilitate access to state and federal assistance.”
In addition to recovery and cleanup efforts, one of the major concerns is addressing contaminated runoff from the suppression effort that “washed into storm drains and other waterways, ultimately reaching Humboldt Bay,” which was compounded by storm conditions.
The “declaration of a local emergency enables the city to more effectively respond to the impacts of the fire damage, including assessing actual and potential threats to Humboldt Bay, local waterways, public property, the local economy, and the environment, which likewise exceed the capacity of city resources,” the resolution states.
The action comes on the heels of a similar declaration authorized by a unanimous vote of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors during a meeting late Tuesday afternnon, which is being forwarded to Gov. Gavin Newsom with the request that he “proclaim a State of Emergency in Humboldt County.”
In addition, Interim Emergency Service Program Manager Patric Esh was designated as the county’s authorized representative “for the purpose of receipt, processing, and coordination of all inquiries and requirements necessary to obtain available state or federal assistance.”
Sheriff William Honsal, who also declared a local state of emergency in the wake of the fire, gave an overview of where things stand while also complimenting the massive effort that went in containing the blaze fueled by high winds and complicated by a damaged gas manifold.
As previously reported, every ladder truck in the county responded to the scene at 10th and H streets, along with 100 firefighters and support personnel from agencies including Humboldt Bay Fire, Samoa Fire, Kneeland Fire, Westhaven Fire, Loleta Fire, Ferndale Fire, Fortuna Fire, Fieldbrook Fire, Blue Lake Fire, Rio Dell Fire, Arcata-Mad River Ambulance, CAL FIRE Trinidad, and CAL FIRE Weott.
The five-alarm fire, he said, “could have been a catastrophic event for the city.”
“So we are thankful that it was contained to one block,” the sheriff told the board, explaining that he had spoken with Arcata Fire Protection District Chief Chris Emmons that morning, who told him 2 million gallons of water were used on the fire.
That has raised the concerns also cited in the Arcata declaration of potential contamination from the runoff.
Honsal said the city consulted with the county’s department of Environmental Health over the weekend and it was recommended that experts from the state’s Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies be brought in to “assess the situation,” conduct testing and assist with “potential cleanup.”
Perry also addressed that aspect during the supervisors’ meeting, saying one of the big questions right now is that assessment, which is beyond the city’s capacity to undertake.
“We really want to be able to leverage those state resources to make sure we are doing everything that we can to protect our affected waterways and the bay,” he said, noting the city is also engaged in “supporting those businesses, the property owners and the residents who were displaced.”
“Our focus will be on showing the community how resilient we can be and getting this cleaned up and being as protective as we can be of the environment,” Perry said.
Emmons expressed his thanks to “everyone who came and helped us.”
“The one thing about Humboldt County is they pull together in a time of need,” he said.
Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson, who lives nearby the fire but was out of town at the time, echoed those thoughts, expressing his “deepest thanks to everyone who responded” and noting the fundraising efforts that were underway.
The businesses lost, he added, weren’t just “economic assets” but “community centers,” with each one of them having “their own community.”
“We are going to work really hard to rebuild,” Wilson said.
Supervisor Natalie Arroyo noted some people lost not only everything they own but their pets in the fire, saying her “heart goes out” to them. She added that it was “incredible to see the outpouring of community support.”
“It’s really, truly remarkable to see how Humboldt steps up in our web of community connection in times like these,” she said.
Under questioning from Supervisor Steve Madrone about water pressure during the fire, Perry said that there was a steady supply and Emmons said there was an “adequate flow” and “plenty of pressure,” with 9,000 gallons being used per minute “at the peak of the fire.” He added that “we weren’t anywhere near running out of water.”
“It was just a matter of trying to pull it as fast as we could,” the fire chief said.
Supervisor Michelle Bushnell also thanked all of those who responded to the fire, saying, “We just wish a good recovery to Arcata,” while fellow Supervisor Rex Bohn noted other communities in the region, including Fortuna, have rebounded from similar situations. “We’ll do it in Arcata,” he said.