The 15 hazmat suit-cladded investigators digging around the fire wreckage in downtown Arcata last week were insurance investigators, city manager Merritt Perry told the Outpost. 

It’s the next step towards eventually clearing out all the rubble from the site of the Jan. 2 fire. All three of the property owners on the burned half-block have their own insurance carrier, each of whom did their own investigation at the same time last week. 

The investigators didn’t discover anything the fire department hadn’t already found, Arcata Fire District assistant chief Wayne Peabody told the Outpost, though he said he hadn’t yet seen their final reports.

There’s no timeline set yet on when the debris will be cleared. Perry said city hall is working with the property owners, introducing them to contractors, helping prepare them to deal with any technicalities or file for any necessary permits, like those for dealing with hazardous waste or contamination. Getting through all the red tape can be daunting, Perry said, but it’s important to ensure the community’s safety.

“A lot of the property owners haven’t done something like this before,” Perry said. “This isn’t something they’ve done before. No one’s an expert in it, so we try and pull together resources so they can understand it and proceed with the work.”