UPDATE 2/2: Photos provided by Amy Sawyer-Long, Arcata Fire District volunteer:

UPDATE 9:45 p.m.: Arcata Fire District press release:

Arcata Fire District was dispatched to a reported structure fire at 6:12 PM in the 1000 block of Griffith Road. The dispatcher updated crews that there were multiple 911 calls incoming. 

One engine, from McKinleyville Station, and a Chief Officer arrived in the area and attempted to locate the best access to the fire. The fire was approximately 130 feet off Griffith Road and there were two driveways to choose from. E8217 located the correct driveway and arrived at the scene, reporting a garage fire that was 50% involved. The fire had already vented through the roof and was spreading to a single family residence approximately 20 feet away.

Fire crews directed hose lines at the residence and prevented it from further damage. The second and third arriving engines worked to establish a water supply to the engine that was fighting the fire. Once the water supply was set up, crews quickly controlled the fire and the damage to the residence was minimal.

Battalion Chief Campbell reported, “I’m extremely thankful no one was injured at this incident. We were extremely short handed tonight with only ten firefighters at scene. Our crews had to fight fire from the exterior because we didn’t have enough people to fill all of the tasks needing to be completed.” 

The fire is under investigation but the preliminary findings indicate it is most likely accidental. The building is a complete loss and the house sustained very minor damage. Investigators will return to the scene in the morning to complete their investigation. 

Chief Campbell stated, “The roof burned thoroughly and the walls are unstable. We are not going to let any of our firefighters go into the building until we can take a better look at the stability during daylight hours. We will not hurt or kill someone over a building with this much damage”.

The tenant of the property discovered the fire when he saw smoke in the yard. He went into the garage and found moderate smoke conditions with fire in the attic. He realized it was too big to extinguish so he called 911 and got out of the building. 

“The occupant did a good job staying out of the building once he realized it was too big for him to attempt extinguishment. We are working with him to determine the cause,” reported Chief Campbell. 

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

 

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Original post: Tonight at approximately 6:12 p.m., a garage fire was reported in the 1000 block of Griffith Road in McKinleyville. When crews arrived on scene, the garage was “50% involved” according to Sean Campbell, Battalion Chief with the Arcata Fire District. Campbell said the single family residence near the garage was starting to smoke so the crew prioritized it. They were able to quickly knock the fire back from that structure and then started to work on the garage.

Campbell said, once they got hooked to a nearby hydrant and got a strong water supply, “they got containment pretty quick.” Crews, he said, then confirmed that no one was inside and no one was injured.” However, the garage was a complete loss, according to Campbell.

Campbell said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.