[UPDATE: 11:20 a.m.] Father Arrested After Cooking Fire in the Myrtletown Area
Press release from Humboldt Bay Fire:
At 6:48 PM. this evening, Humboldt Bay Fire along with Humboldt County Sheriff and Eureka Police responded to a structure fire off of Park street in the Myrtletown area. First 911 reports indicated a fire in the residence with children and a father trapped inside, additional information provided from dispatch stated the neighbor and a male were in a fight outside the residence. The first arriving unit found a single story residence with light smoke coming out of the front. The fire crew entered the residence to find an extinguished cooking fire and the male occupant of the residence. Additional units arrived and were canceled. In all two engines, one ladder truck, one squad and one chief officer responded. The fire crew ventilated the residence with a fan to remove the smoke.
The fire was first noticed by an alert neighbor who heard a smoke alarm sounding. On further investigation fire was seen through the side window in the area of the kitchen. The neighbor alerted her husband and called 911. The husband was able to gain access to the residence and rescued all 3 of the residents from the front room area where they had been sleeping. The neighbor then picked up the flaming pan from the stove and received burns to his hand while removing the pan to the back yard. The 3 residents were uninjured. Humboldt County Sheriff Deputies placed the 2 children in protective custody and the father under arrest for endangerment.
Damage to the residence was minimal due to the smoke detector activation and the swift action of the neighbors. The cause of the fire was a unattended pot of oil that overheated
Arcata Fire Protection District provided coverage for Humboldt Bay during the fire.
12 Firefighters initially responded with no firefighter injuries reported.
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UPDATE 11:20 a.m.: Samantha Karges of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department told us that Jose Garcia was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for child endangerment. She explained that “he started cooking and fell asleep in the living room due to his level of intoxication.”
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thank god for the actions of the neighbor
Was the father I intoxicated? Im not understanding why be was arrested and the kids were placed in costody?
If the father was fighting with someone and almost burned his kids up as a consequence, that could be child endangerment.
That’s what the last sentence says.
Arrested? Disorderly cooking? Probably not the whole story, I hope you can’t get arrested for leaving a pan on the stove.
Paul Harvey would have the “rest of the story.”
Yeah, well, he’s dead!!
probably nodded off…
“A fight outside the residence.” Read it.
I did read it, as likely did that poster. Reports said both children and the father were trapped inside. The neighbors rescued three residents that had been sleeping, two children and the father. So who was fighting? They’ll probably clarify it at some point… or not.
He might not have been “cooking” food for the tykes…
How was he fighting outside and sleeping in the living room?
Many cooking fires can be stopped by covering the burning pan with a lid or cookie sheet or a large pan. People seem compelled to want to move the pan outside or to the sink. Half way out the pan either splashes or they find the handle too hot to hold and drop it. Take a second to explore your options before you grab a flaming pan of boiling oil and run.
Don’t forget baking soda to shake over the fire. It is common for baking soda to be near cooking areas.
Still I would be very grateful if my neighbors looked put for each other that way. Mine so far have turned out to be the kind who tell me way after they were concerned over something well after it was an issue but right before they ask me to do something for them.
So the dad was arrested and the children were put in protective custody over a grease fire?
Most likely ran his mouth until officer had no choice but to arrest him on something! Jail is full of dumb shits!
Passed out drunk and almost burned up his kids. Read the whole thing!!!