Series of Likely Arson Fires Last Night in Eureka
Humboldt Bay firefighters kept busy with structure fires and series of dumpster type fires in the Eureka area last night. More information on the structure fires will come out later today, but the dumpster fires “are likely” arson, according to Humboldt Bay Fire’s Battalion Chief Nick Launius.
The long night for firefighters began at 10:13 p.m. with an unknown item on fire behind the Flamingo Hotel on Broadway. It was quickly extinuished.
Then, in the early morning hours, there was a possibly related fire in a dumpster inside a storage building on 3rd Street.
Then around 5 a.m., in the 600 block of Summer Street another dumpster appears to have been set on fire next to a building.
At 6:30 this morning a large trash bin next to a building on F Street also erupted into flames.
And then finally this morning at 8:39 a.m., Humboldt Bay Firefighters were called to another fire–this time in a large garbage can in the 1400 block of Broadway.
The Trash container was “fully involved” and then “smoldering” after being extinguished by a neighbor, according to Battalion Chief Launius. He also tells us that video footage from a business has captured what they believe is the suspect and it will be forwarded to Eureka Police for investigation.
“We’re looking for any video footage [of any of the fires] and then we’ll pass it on,” Launius explained.
Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules
Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/
Damnation! Put that sticker in jail!
Sucker autocorrected to Sticker
Best EPD can do is cite and release as long as the arsonist promises to come to court. 🤡🤡🤡
I as a victim of such an arsonist. He started down the hill at the back of a restaurant, then came up the hill and set our truck (parked just in front of our house), then went around the corner and set another car on fire and then a block further set the front entryway of another house.
I didn’t have a phone at the time and the sound of our truck’s horn going off woke us up (it was like a death wail) and it was lurching towards the house. I grabbed a robe and was running up the street to the fire dept. a couple of blocks away. As I turned the corner from my house I saw the fire dept. trying to put out the other vehicle fire and I started hollering…one of the fire fighters said “Oh God, not another one.”
They never caught the guy and later in the year he did another series of arsons just a little bit from us. I asked the Chief of Police if they knew who it was and he honestly said that, yes, they did, but couldn’t prove it. The guy’ wife even turned him in once, but recanted and provided him with an alibi. Apparently whenever he and she got in a fight he’d set things on fire.
But he was organized, had some fire starter that involved toilet paper tubes filled with some igniter. It still rankles me that he wasn’t busted.
I don’t know what the solution is. A person should not be held in prison without sufficent proof of the crime but proving a crime has become so difficult and expensive that its not done until the person has the opportunity to commit many more.
Agree with guest
Angela. That sounds horrible!! I’m so sorry!
It was, losing the truck was a pain i the rear. But no one was hurt (physically). We got a new truck out of it. The other vehicle, the poor girl only had liability insurance, so it was a total loss for her, with no recourse to recover from the arsonist. The house that was set on fire also had insurance. But still, someone set their house on fire!
The most traumatic thing for us was that the truck was lurching towards the front of our house. It wound up only about five feet from our front windows.
The “good thing” was that the fire department was just one block to four blocks away. Imagine if it was out in the country, like in Salmon Creek?
But it was 30 years ago.
It was my “introduction” to arsonists, though. What makes them tick?
All a result of allowing drugs and bums in your community.
Absolutely. The bums run the town. All that compassion sure is paying dividends.
Which is all a result prohibition creating wealthy druglords and lack of real community social safety nets country wide.