The Mad River Union’s Kevin Hoover has been reporting this all day. Check out his great coverage here.

ARSON SUSPECTED IN EARLY MORNING FIRE

Arcata Fire District engines were dispatched to a possible chimney fire at 5:18 this morning. Engine 8216 responded from the Arcata station and was at scene in less than two minutes. The engine Captain reported heavy smoke coming from the rear of the house and assigned incoming units to establish a water supply and perform vertical ventilation to remove smoke and heat from the house. Once inside the house, the crew reported finding two separate fires in two rooms. The building, which houses a marijuana dispensary, was not occupied. Firefighters controlled the fires within about 15 minutes. Humboldt Bay Fire provided a standby engine to assist with covering any additional emergencies.

According to Battalion Chief Sean Campbell, “The first engine to arrive was here in just about a minute and a half after leaving the Arcata fire station. Their initial actions were instrumental in bringing the fire under control quickly and minimizing damage to the building.” There were no injuries and firefighters remained at the scene until mid-day.

If anyone has information regarding this incident they can call Arcata Police Department at 822-2428.

For more information about the Arcata Fire Protection District visit www.arcatafire.org or follow us on  www.Facebook.com/ArcataFire