Early in the morning of Sept. 19, firefighters responded to four suspicious fires in the Franklin K. Lane Grove just north of Phillipsville. “CalFire Law enforcement is investigating these incidents,” CalFire Battalion Chief Paul Savona said, noting there has been “an increase in fire activity in the Phillipsville-Redcrest area. “The community is advised to be […]
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August Complex Spreads 40K Acres, Forces New Evacuations
The August Complex, the largest fire in California history, consumed more than 40,000 acres yesterday (more than 60 square miles) and has now charred 839,000 acres and remains only 30 percent contained. Last night, the fire shot out multiple spot fires to the north of Rattlesnake Ridge and forced new evacuations. “It is a priority […]
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Crews Still Keeping August Complex Out of Humboldt
The West Zone of the August Complex — which encompasses Humboldt, Mendocino, Trinity and Del Norte counties — stands at 42,171 acres after being downgraded from yesterday’s estimate of more than 55,000 acres. A Virtual Community Meeting is scheduled at 7 p.m. today. Questions can be submitted to the Cal Fire Medocino Facebook: @CALFIREMEU, which […]
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Hopkins Fire Holding East of Main Eel River with Chance of Rain Forecast
UPDATE: The U.S. Forest Service just announced that the fires known as the Elkhorn, Hopkins, Willow, Vinegar and August Complex have all burned together and will be known going forward as the August Complex. For clarity, the large fire complex will be split into three zones: North, South and West. The complex’s West zone is […]
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UPDATE: Fire Southwest of Briceland
About 5:52 p.m., a piece of logging equipment caught on fire southwest of Briceland. Flames from the vehicle spread to the surrounding vegetation, according to Cal Fire Battalion Chief Paul Savona. At 6:26 p.m., the fire had spread to a quarter acre and aircraft were overhead. Ground crews from Cal Fire, Briceland Fire, Whitethorn Fire, […]
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Flames from Truck on Fire Spreading into Wildlands
Flames are spreading from a Dodge Ram pickup to the wildland off of Bald Mountain Road just east of Maple Creek Road, after the truck caught on fire about 1:50 p.m., according to a report made by the pickup’s owner to 911. CalFire sent multiple engines, Copter 102, an air attack, and other resources to […]
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Emergency Crews Search for Crash Site
UPDATE: The driver has reportedly self-extricated and has an injury to his arm. He has been transported to a local hospital for treatment. PREVIOUSLY: A multi-agency search is underway north of Fortuna to find the scene of a car crash, after a trapped driver called 911 from his cell phone this morning. Emergency personnel are […]
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More Than 10K Pounds of ‘Dangerous Fireworks’ Seized in Eureka
CalFire reported this morning that in a joint operation with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office it seized more than 10,000 pounds of “dangerous fireworks” from a residence on Alpha Street in Eureka. Zackery Edward Brown, 34, of Eureka, was arrested at the scene and booked into the Humboldt County jail on suspicion of possessing dangerous […]
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Fire Destroys Two Buildings in Phillipsville
A structure in the 500 block of Phillipsville Road in Phillipsville burned to the ground this morning. Firefighters received the call about 6:25 a.m. According to CalFire spokesperson David Esteves, two outbuildings were completely destroyed in this fire. While normally outbuildings are not considered residences, he said, “People were living in the outbuildings. [There were] […]
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One Rescued by Helicopter Near Blue Lake
About 7:30 this morning, scanner traffic indicated that there was a rescue ongoing southeast of Blue Lake. We were unable to ascertain the reason for the rescue but Chopper 102 has been dispatched to the area and is attempting to locate the distressed individuals. The area is foggy. At 9:04 a.m., a first responder said […]
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FIFTH UPDATE: 101 at Miranda is Back Open After ‘Multiple Collisions’
FIFTH UPDATE: Caltrans reports at 3:30 p.m. that traffic on U.S. Highway 101 at Miranda is now moving. Southbound lanes have been moving, with northbound expected to open “any minute now,” according to Facebook post. FOURTH UPDATE: Caltrans is reporting at 2 p.m. that “U.S. Highway 101 has closed in the Miranda area of Humboldt […]
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Benbow Eaglet Faces Close Call With Fire
Southern Humboldt County nature lovers were very concerned today as a wildfire burning in the Benbow area closed in on a nest holding a 12-week-old eaglet that has not yet taken to flight. “It was really close, and the helicopter was buzzing right past the nest,” said nature photographer Talia Rose, who runs the popular […]