Humboldt Bay Fire press release:

At 7:42 p.m. Humboldt Bay Fire was dispatched to report of a male floating in the water of the Elk River Slough near Pound Road.

Engine 8112 responded with one Rescue Swimmer trailed by Truck 8181 with three Rescue Swimmers and proceeded to the foot of Pound Road at the Hikshari Trail to make access to the patient.

Meanwhile, Battalion 8102 and Engine 8114 with one Rescue Swimmer deployed from the Southbound 101 bridge access point to the slough. Engine 8112 was the first to arrive on scene and the Rescue Swimmer located a passerby who was able to dictate the rough location of the patient.

Scanning the waterway, the Swimmer spotted what looked to be a face floating about 200 yards away between the train trestle bridge and Southbound 101 bridge, although it was unclear if the patient was face up or face down in the water.

The Swimmer ran along the shoreline until parallel with the patient. At this time it became clear that the patient was face up in the water, but remained unresponsive to calls from the Swimmer.

The Swimmer deployed from the shoreline into the water while another Rescue Swimmer from Engine 8114 deployed from the Highway 101 access point, both Swimmers approaching the patient from either end of the slough.

The Swimmers quickly reached the patient, grabbing him by the shoulder. The patient was alive, but hypothermic and unresponsive.

The Swimmers quickly swam the patient back to shore, where three awaiting Rescue Swimmers helped get the patient out of the water and his wet clothing. Once out of the water, the patient’s condition improved and he was able to be walked, with assistance, to Engine 8114 staged on Southbound Highway 101 where he was wrapped in heated blankets and given a medical assessment by an HBF paramedic.

From there, the patient was transported to St. Joseph Hospital by City Ambulance. The Humboldt Bay Fire Water Rescue Team Coordinator commented after the incident, calling it a “legitimate save.”

“We are extremely proud of the members of our Water Rescue Team, especially after their actions tonight. Had the first rescue swimmer on scene not taken the actions he did, the patient would not have made it given the water temperature, the length of time he had been out there, and his previous medical conditions.”

Humboldt Bay Fire wants to thank the Eureka Police Department for providing officer assistance on scene as well as Samoa Peninsula Fire District for providing coverage during the incident.

U.S. Forest Service press release:

The McCash Fire on the Orleans Ranger District has burned 835 acres as of early Wednesday morning as shown by an Infrared (IR) flight overnight. It is burning near Ten Bear Mountain and McCash Creek, west of the Marble Mountain Wilderness in Siskiyou County.

The fire, which started on Saturday evening, is burning in timber understory, brush and grass. It is currently 1% contained.

Lightning caused this fire In addition to providing more accurate acreage, the IR flight provided the forest with topographic and orthographic maps which show a more accurate footprint of the fire as well as flanks of the fire producing the most heat. In the IR photos from the flight, the most activity shows on the southeastern edge of the fire.

There is potential for smoke impact to the areas around Ti Bar, Somes Bar, and Orleans from the fire. No towns are near the fire, though Somes Bar is the nearest town located on Highway 96.

Smoke impacts are likely partially due to this fire, but the bulk of the smoke is from the other fires burning within the Klamath and Salmon River watersheds. According to the National Weather Service, there is a possibility of smoke from area fires drifting north and northwest tomorrow across Trinity, inland Humboldt, and Del Norte counties early tomorrow with winds tending to be steered steadily more eastward from the fires through the late week. People with smoke sensitivity and health issues should stay indoors during these smoky periods.

Firefighter and public safety remain paramount in the fire suppression effort. To date, there have been no reportable injuries. The forest’s firefighting strategy is to implement full suppression tactics of confine and contain. Personnel assigned to the fire is 145 as of this morning. A quick overview of the types of resources assigned to the fire include a group of smokejumpers, hotshots, hand crews, helicopters, engines, dozers, fixed-wing air attack, a wildland suppression module, and overhead personnel.

There are many values at risk that are currently threatened by the McCash Fire including many cultural and archaeological sites, McCash Creek Geological Area, Ukonom Lookout, several homes and structures within the Ti Bar area, Marble Mountain Wilderness and trails. Indirect threats include, aquatic fisheries and cold water refugia for salmon as well as bald eagle habitat and highly valued public timber and other forest resources also exists.

Traffic may be heavier than usual along Highway 96 before or after Somes Bar due to emergency vehicles traveling to the fire area. Please slow down, watch for any fire signage, and personnel directing traffic.

A group of burn victims was medevaced near Black Sands Beach yesterday morning approximately six miles north of Shelter Cove after their ATV reportedly malfunctioned while illegally riding on a hiking trail near Buck Creek on Monday.

Officer Nathan Bjork with Garberville’s California Highway Patrol office told the Outpost that a 40-year-old driver and three children passengers — ages two, three and five — became stranded on the trail after the mechanical failure. Unable to return the way they came, the group reportedly made its way down to the beach the following day and signaled hikers for help.

According to the CHP incident report, the vehicle’s battery exploded, causing chemical burns. However, Bjork was unable to confirm what part of the vehicle failed or caused injuries.

“It’s an odd one,” he said. “It involved the mechanical failure of the ATV. It wasn’t an impact crash.”

Despite initial reports, Bjork said all victims suffered minor injuries. The victims were flown to an out-of-area hospital for treatment.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• Calling State Law ‘Unconstitutional,’ Attorneys for Rancher Ray Christie Ask Judge to Throw Out Case Involving Hundreds of Cattle Carcasses Found on His Land
  
• Ray Christie’s Lawyer Says: First They Came For Ray Christie, and You Did Not Speak Out Because You are a Vegetarian
• ‘Nothing But a Show,’ Rancher Ray Christie’s Attorney Says After Jury Shown Images of Numerous Dead or Dying Cows
• CHRISTIE TRIAL: While Witnesses Testify to Stacks and Stacks of Carcasses Found, Defense Wonders Whether Cattle May Have Been Killed by Wild Animals or Poisonous Plants
• Rancher Ray Christie’s Attorney Asks For Yet Another New Trial On Top of His Client’s Already Impending Retrial

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Five days before his second jury trial is set to begin, Arcata rancher Ray Christie has fired his primary attorney and been given two days to find a new lawyer who is ready to take on the case and go to trial.

This morning Southern California lawyer John Cogorno, appearing in Judge Christopher Wilson’s courtroom via Zoom, announced that yesterday afternoon he got papers indicating he’d been sacked.

“I received the defendant’s declaration to discharge counsel, which is me,” Cogorno said. He appeared to be surprised.

Cogorno made a motion to withdraw from the case, which Wilson granted.

Christie was in court with co-counsel Ken Bareilles, the local attorney who has been peripherally involved for the past two years. Bareilles said he is willing to stay on as counsel and go to trial, but there is no way he can be ready in a few days.

“I can’t do that,” Bareilles told the judge. “I can’t be prepared.”

Wilson told Christie that because he hired Cogorno, it’s his choice to fire him. But he said he expects Christie to be in court Friday morning with a lawyer who’s ready for trial.

“It’s hard to find a lawyer in two days,” Bareilles said.

“It is,” Wilson replied. “This should have happened months ago.”

Christie’s Arcata ranch was raided more than three years ago by officers from numerous agencies. They found hundreds of cow carcasses within 150 feet of state waters, and also saw cattle living in substandard conditions. A jury convicted Christie of numerous misdemeanor charges of dumping the carcasses, but deadlocked on four felony counts of animal cruelty. Only one of the 12 jurors did not vote for a guilty verdict on the felonies.

Cogorno has filed a series of motions and appeals over the years and has failed each time.

Wilson noted that Christie has a constitutional right to counsel, but this last-minute firing was troublesome.

“Mr. Christie, you put me in a tight spot,” the judge said.

Cogorno is off the hook, Wilson said, but he warned Bareilles he’s still on.

Christie wants Bareilles to represent him, and Bareilles has no desire to withdraw from the case. He just can’t go to trial now.

“I knew the case three years ago, but I don’t know it anymore,” he said.

That was not a statement that pleased the judge.

“I’ll see you on the 6th (Friday),” Wilson said, “with some answers.”

Friday is set for trial assignment, meaning deciding which judge will preside. Trial is set to begin Aug. 9.

Deputy District Attorneys Steven Steward and David Moutrie are the trial prosecutors. They are ready for trial.

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From Humboldt Made:

Given the steep rise in cases and hospitalizations associated with the Delta variant in Humboldt County, Humboldt Made is postponing the Eureka Friday Night Market until further notice. 

“In the best interest of our community, small businesses and health care workers, we are postponing the market. We look forward to bringing people together when it is safe to do so. We simply cannot risk hosting an event that could aid in the further spread of COVID-19 within our community, especially during this time of increased infection and hospitalization.” — Alanna Powell, Executive Director of Humboldt Made. 

McFarland Fire

The McFarland Fire burning south Wildwood in Trinity County has grown to 15,925 acres and remains 5 percent contained.

Highway 36 is still completely closed from the Highway 3 junction in Trinity County to White Rock Road in Shasta County. Caltrans reports that there is no estimated time for when the highway will reopen.

The Monument Fire burning along Highway 299. | U.S. Forest Service

Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for the community of Wildwood. Evacuation warnings have been issued for Post Mountain and Trinity Pines. New evacuation warnings for western Shasta County include: Shields Road, White Rock Road and Harrison Gulch from Highway 36 to Deerlick Springs Road.

“Residents should be prepared to leave the area in case of increased fire activity,” California Interagency Incident Management Team 11 stated. “This is the time to prepare valuable items such as important documents, prescription drugs and phone chargers.”

Concerned community members can receive the latest evacuation warnings by signing up for CodeRed alerts: https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/BFBDCA5E730B.

A total of 519 firefighters are working to contain the blaze. However, the California Interagency Incident Management Team 11 has stated the fire is still understaffed.

“The fire has been doubling during every 24 hour period and with the forecasted conditions tomorrow and a possible wind shift mid to later in the week there will continue a near doubling daily,” CIIMT11 stated. “The drought and the dry hot weather have allowed all fuels to become available to burn. The lack of critical air resources combined with minimal ground resources will continue to limit availability to increase direct line construction.”

Approximately 1,540 residences, 100 outbuildings and 36 forest service structures will be considered threatened by the fire for the next 24 to 72 hours. Firefighters say that many more buildings may be threatened if the fire spreads to the east or north.

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Monument Fire

The Monuments fire burning to the north and south of Highway 299 between Burnt Ranch and Big Bar is currently 15,000 acres in size and 0 percent contained.

Highway 299 remains completely closed in the area between Cedar Flat and Big Flat. Caltrans reports that there is no estimated time for the highway to reopen.

“Four spot fires have now crossed the Trinity River and Highway 299,” Young and California Interagency Incident Management Team 5 reports. “The fire remains south of Del Loma and a half-mile east of Big Bar. On the west side, the fire crossed over Panther Creek and has spotted across Canadian Creek. On the south side, the fire is still holding on Monument Peak and on the adjacent ridges.”

Evacuation orders have been issued by the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office for Big Bar and Del Loma. An evacuation warning has also been issued for the Big Flat community.

The weather is forecast to be hot and dry through Wednesday. Cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity could bring some relief to firefighters on Thursday and Friday. Slightly stronger winds will also be possible toward the end of the week.

Fans of vintage deals and fuzzy critters rejoice! A little over two and a half years after longtime Arcata Plaza staple Sidelines had its liquor license revoked following an elaborate undercover drug sting — oops! — the once-decadent space has been refashioned into the fourth thrift store location providing additional operational funding for Miranda’s Rescue, the beloved local nonprofit that for years has provided love and care for local in-need animals. As of this week, this thing is officially open.

There was a steady stream of curious customers stopping in when LoCO visited midday Tuesday. Between ringing up their finds, staff member Kaitlynn Flores told us that she’d always wanted a job like this on the Plaza and was excited to become a part of the fabric there. “I spent so long setting this place up,” she said. “It was really fun.”

The store features many of the thrift store standards you might expect — from secondhand clothes to used furniture to a section of ’90s VHS movies that somehow always causes one to linger longer than is actually necessary. And while the space is much brighter than Sidelines regulars will recall — a fresh coat of white paint will do that — there are infrastructural souvenirs to remind you of the many rowdy days you maybe spent there. The 40-foot bar is still there, now acting as the business’s front counter. A pair of sports-themed murals by artist Ken Jarvela survived the transition. And there’s the red neon “The Sidelines” sign on the back wall. 

Brigg Paris of Miranda’s Rescue

“Yeah, we kept the sign,” Miranda’s Rescue district manager Brigg Paris told us, adding that his team worked with former Sidelines owner Sal Costanzo to make this project a reality. “Sidelines was a part of the community. It had it’s heyday, it just had an unfortunate downfall.” Paris wanted to get the word out that the store is accepting used goods donations, specifically mentioning that they can arrange furniture pick-ups (and deliveries, for that matter). 

The Outpost spent a bit of time bumbling around the new space with a camera. We share the fruits of our wandering with you now.

PREVIOUS: Miranda’s Rescue Opening New Thrift Store in Former Sidelines Bar Location on Arcata Plaza