###

Press release from Shelter Cove Volunteer Fire Department:

At approximately 6:00 a.m., Shelter Cove Fire Department (SCFD) was dispatched to a reported structure fire in the area of Greenbriar Court in Shelter Cove.

The SCFD on call engine responded immediately, followed shortly by two additional Shelter Cove fire engines and an ambulance. CAL FIRE and Whale Gulch Volunteer Fire Department also provided mutual aid resources.

Upon arrival, responding units found conditions significantly different from the initial report of a possible shed fire. Five vehicles and an RV were fully involved in fire, with multiple nearby structures threatened and fire spreading into the surrounding wildland at a slow rate.

Firefighters initiated an aggressive fire attack but due to fire activity and multiple small explosions they had to engage from a defensive position until the heat and intensity of the fire were reduced enough to safely advance closer and suppress the remaining fire. Once conditions allowed, firefighters continued suppression efforts and conducted a thorough search of the property. The fire was contained within approximately 45 minutes of the first arriving crews.

Unfortunately, during a secondary search, SCFD firefighters located what they believed were human remains inside the RV. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Coroner subsequently confirmed the remains were human.

The incident remains under investigation, with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office serving as the lead investigative agency. No further information regarding the victim or the circumstances of the incident is being released at this time.

The Shelter Cove Fire Department extends its condolences to the victim and their family. SCFD also thanks CAL FIRE and Whale Gulch Volunteer Fire Department for their mutual aid assistance and support during this incident.

Additional information will be released by the appropriate authorities as it becomes available.

###