Photos: Andrew Goff.

UPDATE, 5:30 p.m.: Humboldt Bay Fire updates with a press release:

 

At 1513 hours Humboldt Bay Fire units were dispatched to a structure fire at Henderson and F streets in Eureka. The employees of Cornerstone Computers had smelled smoke inside their store. After investigating the smell of smoke, the employees found an attached garage that had light smoke coming from under the door. The employees used a fire extinguisher to spray under the door to hold the fire in check until firefighters arrived.

The first arriving firefighters removed the garage door and found a small fire on the wooden floor. Firefighters extinguished the remaining fire, checked for extension under the building and evacuated the rest of the tenants.

The fire was small, with damage estimated at $1000.
The cause of the fire is a discarded cigarette found near the burned area of the base of the door. The cigarette combined with the gusty wind caused the wood floor to smolder and catch fire.

There were no injuries and all tenants were able to return to the building. Humboldt Bay Fire asks that you be patient with traffic restrictions near fire operations. Our Fire Support volunteers work with firefighters to provide a safe working area as well as a safe travel route to the driving public.

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UPDATE, 3:50 p.m.: Humboldt Bay Fire Battalion Chief Kent Hulbert tells the Outpost that they’re still not sure what cause the fire, but that it was easily handled after firefighters cut away the garage door. Employees of Cornerstone and a neighboring business had gone after the fire with their own extinguishers before firefighters arrived.

No injuries were reported.

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A garage in the heart of Henderson Center caught fire this afternoon at about 3 p.m.

The fire was first noticed by the staff at Cornerstone Computers, who called in a smell of smoke in their store, which sits on the northwest corner of Henderson and F streets. Humboldt Bay Fire personnel arrived and quickly traced the smoke to the garage attached to the storefront’s.

The fire was quickly extinguished. Traffic is still down to one lane on Henderson between E and F while firefighters mop up.

Power has been cut to the building. A Cornerstone employee tells the Outpost’s Andrew Goff that they’ve had to close up shop for the time being.