The fire perimeter as of yesterday evening, with hotspots indicated.
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office just issued an immediate evacuation order for the community of Forks of Salmon, which lies southeast of Somes Bar along Salmon River Road, due to the advancing Butler Fire.
The alert from the office reads:
Siskiyou County Sheriffs Office has issued an EVACUATION ORDER for Zones SIS-1707-B, SIS-1708, FRK-1709, SIS-1804, and SIS-1805 in and around Forks of Salmon due to the Butler Fire. Anyone in this area is ordered to leave now. For the latest information regarding emergencies impacting Siskiyou County go to the ReadySiskiyou Website at www.readysiskiyou.gov
The office is asking residents to leave through Cecilville, right now.
A reporter for the WatchDuty app — a very credible source — says that more firefighting resources have been dispatched to the area for structure protection.
THAT is the news of the hour, and not any other so-called news that some very former friends of the president keep talking about for some reason!
Look: We all know what Alcatraz once was, back in the days when things made sense. It was where we sent the baddest of the bad. And guess what: They didn’t like it very much, I can tell you that!
Now it is time to sweep out the school tour groups and restore this great American island to its former glory as a supermax prison. You’ve heard of Alligator Alcatraz? This will be like that … but with sharks.
And never let it be said that Humboldt County did not contribute to this glorious effort! Today, Attorney General Pam Bondi is on the scene surveying the site, so that she might offer the president her expert opinion on how best to move forward with utmost speed.
What’s that we see, in the clip above? Yep! Bondi is being ferried, on her tour ‘round the Rock, by the Coast Guard Motor Lifeboat Humboldt Bay. That’s one of Sector Humboldt Bay’s motor lifeboats! A Coast Guard spokesperson tells us that it is currently on loan to San Francisco, while one of their motor lifeboats is being repaired.
So, a day to mark on the calendar in red — the day that a piece of Humboldt was there, in spirit, to play its humble role in one of the most amazing deals yet brokered by the president … and certainly one of the closest to home!
Naturally, California Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a former Speaker of the House who has not yet been officially declared an enemy of the state, has called this magnificent effort “the Trump Administration’s stupidest plan yet.”
Humboldt Made’s Friday Night Market is officially coming to Arcata after a unanimous vote during the city council meeting last night.
Rosa Dixon, the director of Humboldt Made, made her case to an enthusiastic city council, who highlighted the fun and the money the Friday Night Markets will bring to Arcata. It’ll be very similar to the Eureka Friday Night Market, complete with a beer garden, live music and dozens of vendors (though not quite as many as in Eureka). Businesses on the Plaza would also have the option to open a booth for the market.
Humboldt Made predicted over 5,000 attendees for the markets, which will run every Friday night in September from 5-8 p.m., except on Sep. 19, when the North Country Fair is running.
“The ‘why’ is really to celebrate Arcata,” said Assistant City Manager Tabatha Miller, “Our culture and our local offerings, and to give the opportunity to support our local economy and local businesses, feature Humboldt products, welcome Cal Poly students back…It’s really just to highlight everything wonderful about Arcata.”
The city council agreed to pay Humboldt Made three stipends of $2,500 each to help pay for the infrastructure costs, like toilets, security, stage, and sound. The City will be responsible for closing the streets around the Plaza, cleaning up beforehand, and coordinating public safety. Miller estimated those expenses will cost around $2,000 per market, for a total cost of $13,500, paid for by funds set aside for economic development. Humboldt Made covers whatever’s left over.
There will be some methods used to throttle the amount of waste. Dixon said a hired team will sort garbage and recycling. Although the Eureka Friday Night Market uses single-use plastic cups (Dixon said the Eureka Police Department needs to be able to see what’s inside), the Arcata Friday Night Market will use the same re-usable metal beverage cups from OysterFest.
There will be a strong focus on attracting Cal Poly Humboldt students, who will have their own “welcome area,” and Dixon said she will attempt to convince CPH officials to run a shuttle back-and-forth from campus to the Plaza during the events.
“The energy and community that comes together for this event — I’ve never seen anything like it in Humboldt County,” Dixon said. “The idea is to spread that incredible passion that the artists have, the artisans have, the food vendors have, the local businesses and the community into Arcata is so exciting to me.”
Nicer Hotels?
Assistant City Manager Tabatha Miller presented a staff report to the council about the potentially invigorating effects a Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenue sharing program could have on the city’s hotel stock.
Arcata makes a fair bit of money from its TOT, the 10% tax travelers pay when they stay in a hotel or an Airbnb; Miller estimated that Arcata earned about $1.6 million from the TOT during the last fiscal year.
Arcata’s TOT revenue over the years. By City of Arcata.
There aren’t too many places to stay in Arcata. There’s only one hotel outside the Valley West area, the Hotel Arcata on the Plaza. Many travelers also choose to stay outside the city; Miller even noted that even city consultants often choose to stay in Eureka. Though expenses to open more hotels or revamp others that could use a facelift would be huge, a revenue-sharing program could make it a little more attractive to build some more.
Miller shared some examples of how a few other California cities like Temecula and Dublin do it: a hotelier applies to the program, and the government calculates the average TOT they generated over a period of a few years. The owners dump money into making their hotel nicer, and if they end up generating more tax money than before, the city pays a percentage of that extra money back to them to help defray the expenses. There are also plenty of deadlines developers have to meet to keep things moving quickly.
Incentives to build new hotels work slightly differently because they don’t have a base TOT, so Miller said the council would likely have to prioritize one or the other.
There’s already at least one interested party; Miller said the owners of the old Fairwinds Motel on G Street have approached Arcata about partnering to help redevelop the old property (“It is, quite frankly, an eyesore,” Miller said) into a sleek, 27-room hotel called “The ‘Jack.”
A mockup of “The ‘Jack” hotel, formerly the Fairwinds.
All of the council members said they were excited about the idea of getting some more hotels outside Valley West.
“I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with folks since I’ve been serving the last four and a half years wanting more hotels in the downtown area,” councilmember Stacy Atkins-Salazar said. “I’m very much in favor of exploring this.”
The City of Arcata wishes to inform the community that Arcata City Hall will close at 1 p.m. every Friday beginning on Aug. 8 to better align with operational needs and employee wellness.
This change reflects the City’s ongoing commitment to employee retention and sustainable work schedules. By closing City Hall to the public for these hours, staff can focus on completing projects uninterrupted before the weekend. By providing staff with a more balanced end to the workweek, the City aims to foster a healthier workplace culture and improve long-term job satisfaction. These efforts are part of a broader strategy to attract and retain talented professionals dedicated to serving the Arcata community.
In addition, the Finance Department counter will open two hours earlier at 9 a.m. on Fridays and will close at 1 p.m. in alignment with the new City Hall hours. This adjustment ensures residents have expanded access to financial services while supporting staff flexibility.
All other weekday hours will remain unchanged with City Hall open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the Finance Department counter open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information, please visit cityofarcata.org or call (707) 822-5953.
Let’s watch Chef Taku clean one of these ugly-ass fish and make a delicious pita wrap out of it! His cookbook looks pretty cool, BTW.
####
Press release from CalTrout:
“Go
get ‘em!”
The Eel River Pikeminnow Fishing Derby is back again, after over 500
fish were caught in the 2024 derby. The derby is put on by a
collaboration of groups working to restore native fishes in the Eel
River. From now through August 31st, anyone with a fishing license
(or if under 16 years of age, no license is necessary) can go and
catch pikeminnow on the Eel for a chance to win up to $500, with
$2,500 in cash prizes! There is no entry fee. Data from your catches
can help managers aid in the conservation of our native fishes.
Pikeminnow were introduced to the Eel River via Pillsbury Reservoir
in the late 1970’s. Since then, they have spread to all the forks
of the Eel and are remarkably prolific. They make seasonal migrations
within freshwater and have been found to consume native salmonids and
lamprey among other fishes in the Eel River. In 2018, The Wiyot Tribe
and Stillwater Sciences began a focused effort to monitor the
pikeminnow population in the South Fork Eel and develop a better
understanding of their prey through diet analysis. Since then, the
collaboration has grown to include CalTrout, UC Berkeley, the Bureau
of Land Management, California Department of Fish and Wildlife and
TRIB Research, all working together to better understand pikeminnow
in the Eel River. A recent method has been to install a
channel-spanning weir to limit pikeminnow migration into the upper
South Fork Eel. On top of the other factors affecting the Eel River
such as historic overfishing, logging practices, habitat loss, and
impacts from climate change, pikeminnow can have a significant effect
on native fish populations.
The waters open to fishing for the derby are: the South Fork Eel
River downstream of the Humboldt County line to the confluence with
the mainstem, the mainstem Eel from Dos Rios to the mouth of the Van
Duzen, and the Van Duzen from Grizzly Creek to the mouth of the Van
Duzen.
We recommend eating your pikeminnow in the form of fried fish cakes,
fish balls in noodle soup, fish tacos or smoking them. Don’t
believe the common misconception that pikeminnow are inedible. They
are delicious, they just need extra care to deal with the y-bones.
For
more details on how to enter the derby visit this
link.
UPDATE 3:45 P.M.: The community meeting at the Forks of Salmon Community Center has been canceled, according to a spokesperson with California Incident Management Team 1. Keep an eye on the Six Rivers National Forest’s Facebook page for updated information.
###
Press release from Six Rivers National Forest:
Butler Fire: 10,093 acres; 2% containment
Red Fire: 116 acres; 95% containment
Operational Updates:
Butler Fire: Firefighters achieved 2 percent containment on the Butler Fire July 16 and successfully held the fire from jumping the Salmon River at a precarious corner south of Nordheimer Campground. The public is invited to a community meeting at 6 p.m. today at the Forks of Salmon Community Center, 15520 Salmon River Road. The meeting will also be streamed from the Six Rivers and Klamath National Forests Facebook pages. People did not need to have a Facebook account to watch a Facebook Live stream.
With the northern section of the fire secured around Butler Flat, crews are making their way south along Salmon River Road extinguishing isolated hot spots. Salmon River Road remains closed between Butler Flat and Nordheimer Campground as burning vegetation and debris further upslope continue to fall into the roadway.
Terrain and weather aligned along a southern section of Salmon River Road for an increased chance of spotting over the river near Boyd Hill. Firefighters and aircraft kept the fire within its eastern perimeter while it passed by the point and continued to push southward, staying upslope of the river.
Crews have begun moving into the Forks of Salmon and Yellow Jacket Ridge areas east of the Salmon River, as well as the Horn Creek and McNeal Creek areas west of the river to perform preliminary structure protection work and reopen preexisting containment lines as contingencies against the advancing southern front. Strategic backfiring and ridgetop ignitions further south might be necessary in coming days if conditions warrant and weather allows.
Fire remained active around Orleans Mountain in the fire’s southwest perimeter. Crews and aircraft continued to focus attention on a portion of the fire that pushed east of Butler Creek. Its westward advance was diminished as it entered into the burn scars of the 2024 Boise Fire and 2023 Pearch Fire.
Red Fire: Containment of the Red Fire remained at 95 percent as crews worked the remaining section of uncontained perimeter to locate and extinguish isolated hot spots.
Evacuations:
Butler Fire: Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office expanded its evacuation orders July 15 to include FRK-1709 (Forks of Salmon), SIS-1707-B, SIS-1708, SIS-1804 and SIS-1805. They join the following zones already under an evacuation order: SIS-1703, SIS-1704 (Butler Creek, Lewis Creek, Bloomer Mine residents and Nordheimer Campground), SIS-1707-A and SIS-1803-A.
Zones SIS-1705, SIS-1710, SIS-1802, SIS-1808 and SIS-1906 are under an evacuation warning, where residents are advised to be prepared to evacuate if conditions become more threatening. The latest evacuation information can be found at https://protect.genasys.com.
Closures:
Butler Fire: The road between Butler Flat and Nordheimer Campground remains closed as rocks and burning debris continued to fall into the roadway. National Forests: The Six Rivers and Klamath National Forests issued a joint closure order July 16 within the vicinity of the Butler Fire. The closure includes Nordheimer and Oak Bottom campgrounds.
Weather and Fire Behavior: Temperatures are expected to be slightly cooler today with highs in the mid to low 90s. Winds will mostly come out of the west with occasional gusts up to 20 miles an hour.
Breeze Airways, the premium leisure carrier
connecting underserved cities across the U.S., today announced that it would be
bringing its affordable, accessible air service to Arcata-Eureka beginning March 12,
2026, with nonstop service to Burbank-Hollywood and connecting service to Provo-
Salt Lake City.
“Breeze is known for its convenient, affordable flights, premium seating options,
and amenities like fast onboard WiFi and power at every seat, and we look forward
to introducing travelers in the Humboldt County area to our Seriously Nice service,”
said David Neeleman, founder and CEO of Breeze Airways. “Arcata-Eureka is exactly
the kind of underserved market our airline set out to serve and we’re confident our
new Guests will enjoy their enhanced travel experience onboard one of our brand-
new Airbus A220 aircraft.”
Beginning today Arcata-Eureka travelers can book a flight on Breeze to:
Burbank-Hollywood, Calif. (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, starting
March 12, 2026, from $39* one-way); and
Provo-Salt Lake City, Utah (One-stop/no change of plane BreezeThru, or
connecting service on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays starting March 12,
2026).
“We are thrilled to welcome Breeze Airways to the California Redwood Coast–
Humboldt County Airport (ACV),” said Ryan Cooley, director of aviation for the
County of Humboldt. “We appreciate Breeze’s commitment to serving the needs of
Humboldt County’s travelers and visitors while helping to strengthen connectivity in
our region.”
The announcement, which follows the close of the airline’s second full quarter of
operating profit, is a direct response to growing demand for the airline’s successfulhybrid business model and represents a significant expansion of Breeze’s West
Coast network.
Breeze was recently named one of Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative
companies of 2025 for its fresh take on affordable flying that is transforming low-
cost air travel into a nice experience. It was also named the No. 3 Best Domestic
Airline by Travel + Leisure in 2025, placing Breeze in the list’s top four every year
since it began flying.
The airline’s flexible network conveniently connects travelers in underserved cities
directly to desirable destinations nationwide, reducing unnecessary travel time and
making air travel more accessible to millions of travelers coast to coast. Coupled
with its brand-new fleet of Airbus A220-300 aircraft and premium products like free
family seating, fast onboard WiFi, preferred seat options, and no change and cancel
fees, Breeze is making it nice to fly affordably.
To learn more about Breeze or to book a flight, visit flybreeze.com or download the
Breeze Airways app.
###
*$39 No Flex Fare promotion is available only when booking a new reservation for BUR-
ACV and ACV-BUR. Promotion must be purchased from July 17, 2025, July 23, 2025
(11:59 pm PT). BUR-ACV and ACV-BUR promotion is valid only for travel from March 12,
2026, through May 12, 2026. Price displayed includes taxes & government fees. Fare
prices, fare classes, rules, routes, and schedules are subject to change or exemption
without notice. Any changes or modifications to qualifying promotional reservations will
be subject to fare repricing. A difference in airfare at the current fare price may apply.
Other restrictions and blackout dates may apply.
About Breeze Airways
Breeze Airways operates more than 300 year-round and seasonal routes to 76 cities
in 34 states. Founded by aviation entrepreneur David Neeleman, Breeze took flight
in May 2021 bringing premium, affordable, and nonstop air service to secondary
markets on its flagship fleet of Airbus A220-300 aircraft. Breeze has been named a
top 4 “Best Domestic Airline” by Travel + Leisure for four consecutive years and was
named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies for 2025. Breeze was thefirst U.S. domestic airline to be certified by Autism Double Checked and is the
official airline of Make-a-Wish Utah. With seamless booking, friendly policies, and
customized booking options, Breeze makes it easy to buy and Seriously Nice™ to
fly.
###
Press release from the County of Humboldt:
Breeze Airways has announced new nonstop air service between the California-Redwood Coast Humboldt County Airport (ACV) to Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) and connecting service to Provo Airport (PVU) beginning March 12, 2026.
Starting today, travelers can book a flight on Breeze to BUR and a connecting flight to PVU. Flights are scheduled to run Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, starting March 12, 2026 catering to the needs of travelers, including residents, business professionals, students and visitors.
“Breeze is known for its convenient, affordable flights, premium seating options, and amenities like fast onboard Wi-Fi and power at every seat, and we look forward to introducing travelers in the Humboldt County area to our Seriously Nice™ service,” said David Neeleman, founder and CEO of Breeze Airways. “Arcata-Eureka is exactly the kind of underserved market our airline set out to serve and we’re confident our new guests will enjoy their enhanced travel experience onboard one of our brand-new Airbus A220 aircraft.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Breeze Airways to the California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport,” said Ryan Cooley, Director of Aviation for the County of Humboldt. “We appreciate Breeze’s commitment to serving the needs of Humboldt County’s travelers and visitors while helping to strengthen connectivity in our region.”
Breeze Airways is currently offering limited-time one-way fares starting at $39 for travel between ACV and BUR. This promotional fare is available for reservations booked between Thursday, July 17 and Wednesday, July 23. Travel must take place between March 12 and May 12, 2026, and other terms and conditions apply. Travelers can book their flights on Breeze Airways and view the full promotional details at FlyBreeze.com.
For more information about Breeze Airways, visit FlyBreeze.com. For more information on the California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport, please visit FlyACV.com.
