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A fire broke out this afternoon following an explosion at the north end of Eureka, in a greenbelt between Sushi Spot and Siam Orchid Thai. Emergency responders have closed down V Street at the intersection of Fifth. 

California Highway Patrol is currently on scene managing traffic.

Eureka Police Department spokesperson Laura Montagna tells the Outpost’s Andrew Goff, on the scene, that people were seen leaving the premises after the fire started. She added that the cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

Guillermo Sandoval, the owner of the property, says he was aware that people had been camping and building structures in this area and had contacted the city about helping to remove them but nothing was done.

One reader reports that she was inside Kiskanu, a cannabis dispensary on Fourth Street, when she heard explosions outside. She emerged to see a black plume of smoke, which was visible across Eureka and even into Humboldt Bay. One reader snapped photos from aboard the Madaket:

Here’s a photo submitted to the Outpost by Fourth District Humboldt County Supervisor Natalie Arroyo: