Humboldt Bay Fire press release:

Last night at approximately 10:30 PM Humboldt Bay Fire responded to a reported structure fire at 205 Seventh Street, a mixed occupancy one-story commercial building. Upon arrival fire crews observed thick grey smoke inside of the building and moderate smoke visible from the roof.  Due to the size of the building and a lack of a clear fire location, a second alarm was requested, bringing mutual aid assistance from both Loleta Volunteer Fire Department and the Arcata Fire Protection District. In addition, off duty Humboldt Bay Firefighters returned to work to assist with Fire Station coverage during the incident.

The smoke appeared to be the result of a failed large alcoholic beverage brewing vessel that, due to a malfunctioning heater control, had overheated and ruptured the vessel site glass. This resulted in the spilling of a large quantity of hot vegetable oil all over the floor which melted several plastic containers.  Due to a lack of available combustibles in the fire’s vicinity the fire appeared to have self extinguished.  The occupancy’s tenant said they had been there the previous evening, but had ensured everything had been turned off when they left.  

Initial damage estimates show an approximately $1,000 loss on the structure and another $5,000 for the contents.

These incidents support the importance of fire protections systems including residential smoke alarms, fire alarm systems, fire sprinkler systems, and fire department key boxes.