PREVIOUSLY: Explosion at Arcata Apartment Complex; At Least One Person Badly Injured

[NOTE: Jenny Williamson of the Arcata Fire District tells the Outpost the the cause of each fire is “still under investigation.”]

From the Arcata Fire District:

At 2:00PM this afternoon, Arcata Fire District responded to a residential structure fire with possible explosion located in the 2500 block of Alliance Road.

The first arriving Chief Officer confirmed there was a structure fire by reporting black smoke coming from the front windows of the apartment. The windows were broken out prior to our arrival. Fire Chief Cowan reported an injured individual on the lawn in front of the involved structure and requested an ambulance to the scene. The individual was being assessed by an Arcata police officer. As Arcata fire personnel got into position to advance a hose line, one of the crew members provided initial care to the individual on the lawn. Paramedics from Arcata-Mad River Ambulance arrived and took over treatment before transporting the patient to the hospital.

Arcata Fire crews advanced into the structure and quickly made access and extinguished the fire. Within about 15 minutes of being dispatched to the Alliance Road fire, Arcata Fire District was dispatched to a second structure fire with an explosion in the 2200 block of Terrace Road in McKinleyville. Engines were quickly released from the Alliance incident and mutual aid resources from neighboring departments were already on the road.

The first arriving officer Battalion Chief Sean Campbell confirmed there was a structure fire by reporting smoke coming from the front door eaves, and reporting that the fire may have extended to the attic space. BC Campbell confirmed that all the residents had made it out of the structure safely. While he conducted his walk around the structure he found one of the residents attempting to go back into the structure with a garden hose to extinguish the fire. The resident was told to stop what he was doing and to go to the front of the structure. Shortly thereafter another resident was seen attempting to enter the structure to rescue his pet lizard. This person was also told to stop and get away from the structure.

Engine crews deployed a hose line into the structure while a second crew accessed the roof and provided vertical ventilation. The fire was extinguished within five minutes. A third crew entered the structure and found the resident’s pet.

Between both fires, Arcata Fire District responded with three engines and four chief officers. Multiple volunteer fire fighters and career personnel responded to both scenes in their private vehicles. Humboldt Bay Fire responded with one engine and one Chief Officer. Blue Lake Fire responded with one engine and one Chief Officer. Fieldbrook Fire responded with one engine to provide coverage in our fire district. Arcata-Mad River Ambulance responded with two ambulances, one at each incident. Arcata Police Department responded to assist with the Alliance Road investigation and Humboldt County Sheriff’s responded to assist with the Terrance Road investigation.

According to Chief Cowan, “Having two fires overlap is a real strain on our limited resources. Fortunately, our agreements with neighboring agencies help us cover stations if we’re committed at a fire or rescue. We provide the same service to them. It’s mutual aid in action and it serves all of our communities well.”