Photos of the Six Rivers Lightning Complex from Inciweb.
Approximately 703 residences and 100 commercial buildings in Humboldt County are currently threatened by the Six Rivers Lightning Complex — a group of six lightning fires covering 10,781 acres to the north and south of Highway 299 near Willow Creek.
Amanda Munsey, spokesperson for the fire’s incident management team (Incident Management Team 11), told the Outpost this afternoon that the fire remains 0 percent contained. However, firefighters anticipate some level of containment in the coming days.
“[Firefighters] are optimistic that they should get containment on the map soon,” Munsey said.
A map of the Six Rivers Lightning Complex. | Inciweb
Incident Management Team 11, comprised of the U.S. Forest Service and Calfire, stated in its daily fire update that the complex is actively threatening communities along the Trinity River.
“Primary areas of focus are the communities along the 299 corridor, Waterman Ridge, Friday Ridge Road, and Ammon Ridge,” Incident Management Team 11 stated. “Evacuations continue around Willow Creek, Friday Ridge, Salyer and Trinity Village. Additional fire growth could impact communities and residences along Route 1.”
The growth of the Bremer Fire north of Willow Creek.
Approximately 1,245 firefighters are currently assigned to the complex, and are carrying out individual strategies to contain each of the six fires.
On the Bremer Fire, burning directly north of Willow Creek and east of the Trinity River, firefighters are working to develop control lines and protect a threatened cell tower that provides communication services to the Willow Creek area.
Firefighters forecast that winds will push the Bremer Fire — and the Waterman fire burning northeast of Willow Creek — toward residences in Salyer Heights, Willow Creek and Trinity Center.
Firefighters anticipate that the largest fire growth will occur to the west and south of the Oak, Ammon and Charlie Fires burning well south of Highway 299 and west of the Trinity River.
Growth of the Campbell Fire burning southwest of Willow creek.
On the Campbell and Ammon Fires, firefighters are working to complete dozer lines to halt the anticipated growth. Fire retardant has also been dropped in the Ammon Ridge are in an effort to keep the fire north of Ammon Ridge, south of Waterman Road, east of the FS-1 road and west of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest boundary.
“Most of the smoke production has been coming from [the Ammon Fire],” the Incident Management Team stated. “Areas south of this fire are hot and dry. Yesterday firefighters saw increased fire activity when good clean air from southwest winds presented. This area is not expected to be as active today.”
Growth of the Ammon Fire burning south of Willow Creek, parallel to Humboldt Bay.
Warmer, drier weather and up-canyon winds are expected to create more hazardous fire conditions in the Quimby Creek area. Fire conditions in the fire’s northern zone, meanwhile, are expected to be less severe due to higher humidity levels.
“Overnight, hard work by firefighters, in combination with high humidity, kept fire growth to a minimum,” the Incident Management Team stated. “Higher humidity is expected today on the northern end of the fire and there is not a lot of anticipated movement today.”
Today’s smoke conditions. | U.S. Air Quality Index
According to the U.S. Air Quality Index, today’s air quality is “hazardous” to “very unhealthy” in the Burnt Ranch and Hyampom areas. Conditions are also “unhealthy” in Willow Creek. The air quality in Hoopa and Coastal Humboldt remains “good.”
An evacuation shelter has been set up at Trinity Valley Elementary School at 730 Highway 96 in Willow Creek. A shelter for evacuated animals is also available at the Hoopa Rodeo Grounds at 1767 Pine Creek Road in Hoopa.
No structures are reported to have been destroyed in Humboldt County at this time. The number of threatened and destroyed structures in Trinity County is unknown.
The Six Rivers Lightning Complex at sunset. | Inciweb
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On August 8, 2022, at about 10:14 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 3800 block of Little Fairfield Street, in the county’s jurisdiction of Eureka, for the report of an assault.
Deputies arrived in the area and located a 74-year-old male victim with serious injuries. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment. While investigating this incident, deputies received information regarding three additional assaults involving a suspect with a similar description occurring between the incident location and the 600 block of West Harris Street. During one of these assaults, the suspect reportedly physically attacked a patron of a nearby business, then fled with the victim’s groceries. All four of these assaults are believed to have been unprovoked instances of violence.
Deputies searched the surrounding areas and located the suspect, 24-year-old Dylan James Roberts, walking in the area of Burrill and Hiller Streets. Roberts was taken into custody without incident.
Roberts was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of robbery (PC 211), assault (PC 240) and battery (PC 242).
Later that day, while in custody at the Correctional Facility, Roberts physically attacked a cell mate and vandalized a cell. He was booked on additional charges of assault (PC 240), battery (PC 242) and damage to a jail (PC 4600).
This case is still under investigation and additional charges may be requested as this investigation progresses. If you witnessed or were a victim of any of these assaults, please contact the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251, reference case number 202204073.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On August 9, 2022, at about 4:10 p.m. Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a business on the 1600 block of Central Avenue in McKinleyville for the report of a possible arson.
According to the reporting party, a female suspect, later identified as 40-year-old Amber Robina Adams, was observed setting a small fire outside the building. The fire reportedly quickly went out and did not cause substantial damage to the business.
While investigating, deputies received information that Adams was at a business nearby. Deputies located Adams and took her into custody without incident.
Adams was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of arson (PC 451(b)) and violation of probation (PC 1203.2(a)).
Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.
Conceptual image showing Nordic Aquafarms’ planned facilities on the Samoa Peninsula. | Image via County of Humboldt.
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Last week, the Humboldt County Planning Commission unanimously voted to certify the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and issue a coastal development permit to Nordic Aquafarms California, LLC, a subsidiary of Norway-based Nordic Aquafarms, which intends to build a 766,530-square-foot recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility on the Samoa Peninsula.
After the decision, we reached out to a number of leaders of local environmental organizations who have criticized the project to ask for their responses. To a person, they deferred commenting until after meeting yesterday morning to discuss the matter. Yesterday evening they emailed a joint media statement, which we’ve published below.
Asked if they plan to appeal the Planning Commission’s decision to the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, Humboldt Baykeeper Director Jennifer Kalt replied via email, “We’re still contemplating that question.”
Below is the media statement, which was sent on behalf of Humboldt Baykeeper, Northcoast Environmental Center, Coalition for Responsible
Transportation Priorities, 350 Humboldt and the Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC):
On Thursday August 4th, the Humboldt County Planning Commision approved a conditional
permit for the proposed Nordic Aquafarms project and certified the project’s Environmental
Impact Report (EIR).
Our organizations—Humboldt Baykeeper, Northcoast Environmental Center, Coalition for
Responsible Transportation Priorities, 350 Humboldt, and EPIC—have engaged with the
proposed Nordic Aquafarms from its inception. The project, unprecedented in size and design,
has rightfully drawn critical attention.
While the project has the potential to negatively impact the environment, our organizations have
not opposed it because redevelopment of the existing site would require remediation of a
contaminated former pulp mill site, which we see as beneficial to the community and the
environment. Instead, our organizations have focused our efforts on working with Nordic to
improve the project by reducing the impacts.
Our engagement with the project over the past
three years has led to some improvements, including:
Commitments to purchase renewable
energy for the project;
More monitoring of ocean waters near the effluent discharge;
Employee commute programs to help reduce the greenhouse gas impact of 100+ employees
driving single-occupancy vehicles to the site.
Although we were successful in getting these improvements, there remain significant
unresolved issues that we intend to continue to address, including greenhouse gas emissions
related to fish feed, increased truck traffic and associated safety, coastal access and tailpipe
emissions impacts, and the impacts to the aquatic environment from the bay intake and ocean
discharge.
Our organizations will continue to exhaust all opportunities to improve the project
through the Coastal Commission and the Regional Water Quality Control Board, as well as
seeking voluntary improvements to the project with Nordic.
The recent reorganization of company leadership and the fact that Nordic California LLC has
split from its parent company, coupled with the fact that Nordic CEO Bernt-Olav Rottingsnes
was quoted in July 2022 saying, “I think it is fair to say the banks still think it is too early to lend
to land-based fish farming,” make us increasingly skeptical of Nordic’s financial ability to pull off
a project of this magnitude.
Although Nordic claims that this technology is tested, they have yet
to embark on a project of this size. Nevertheless, our organizations will continue to push for
improvements and resolutions to the outstanding issues as long as the project continues to
move forward.
An Arcata man was sentenced this morning to 13 years in state prison for stabbing and attempting to kill a homeless man who was asleep on an Old Town street.
Judge Kelly Neel handed Tory Tasi Parker Mamea the maximum term of nine years for the attempted murder of Timothy Edward Hansen. Mamea received an additional three years for causing great bodily injury and one more year for using a knife.
Jury selection for Mamea’s trial had begun when he accepted an offer to plead guilty, with the benefit being that the prosecution was no longer calling the attack premeditated. In California premeditated attempted murder carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Mamea stabbed Hansen multiple times on Sept. 24, 2020. He died later, but from other causes.
Judge Neel reprimanded Mamea today for his crime, questioning his motive and asking whether he had thought about the impact on his own family. Seven people supporting Mamea were in the courtroom audience. One of them was holding a baby girl.
Neel also pointed out Hansen was already in terrible circumstances, living on the street.
“How much worse can it get?” she asked.
As part of his agreement with the prosecution, the 29-year-old Mamea agreed to give up all credit for the two-plus years spent in Humboldt County Correctional Facility.
When Mamea was arrested about six weeks after the stabbing, Eureka police said they had conducted an extensive investigation, relying on video surveillance and witness statements, to identify the suspect.
Just eight days before he stabbed Hansen, Mamea was arrested for suspected drunken driving, his second arrest for that offense. And four months before the stabbing, Mamea was charged with misdemeanor battery on a spouse or cohabitant.
Deputy District Attorney Trent Timm handled the case for his office, with Deputy Public Defender Casey Russo representing Mamea.
Watson announced his decision on social media last night, saying his mental health “is better than its [sic] ever been” and alleging that he’s been the victim of “endless bullying” for asking questions and representing “the wishes of the community.”
At its July 19, 2022 meeting, the Eureka City Council approved the demolition of the 42 ton Broadway dolos,
should a cost-effective solution to move the dolos not be identified. The City of Eureka sold the property on
which the dolos is located and the new owners need the dolos removed as soon as possible to begin
construction of a new hotel.
Local residents voiced their concerns, and encouraged the City to work with local
businesses and contractors to find a solution to move it to a new home. Leroy Zerlang, chair of the Humboldt
Harbor Safety Committee, met with City staff and businesses to identify a way to safely move the dolos to
Madaket Plaza.
The City is pleased to announce that the dolos will be moved to Madaket Plaza on Monday, August 15th.
According to Councilmember Natalie Arroyo, “I’m so pleased that the dolos, an important maritime artifact of
Humboldt Bay, will be relocated to Madaket Plaza. It’s a perfect location that will allow people to continue to
learn about its significance for years to come.”
The City would like to thank Leroy Zerlang for rallying the community and finding a solution to keep the dolos
in Eureka. The City would also like to acknowledge and thank North Coast Fabricators and Kernen
Construction for assisting with their equipment and time – this relocation is only possible through their
generous help.
