Fatal Fire Near Ettersburg
Last night, about 10 p.m., firefighters rushed to what they thought was a wildland fire in the 2600 block of Ettersburg Road, only to learn it was a structure fire.
According to Telegraph Ridge Fire Chief Peter Lawsky, “The house burned to the ground and the man who lived in it died in the fire.”
Fire engines from Cal Fire and Telegraph Ridge Fire responded along with a hand crew and water tenders from Briceland Fire and Redway Fire.
Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the deceased man and to the emergency personnel who dealt with this tragedy.
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This is getting very suspicious.
I thought the fire and fatality at Perry Meadow was pretty damn suspicious.
These may be strong arm robberies, forcing occupants to relinquish valuables by, fear, force, and/or injury, followed by murder and arson…
Too many in a row…
It’s likely more than just a coincidence!
Somebody, or “some buddies”, running amok, and then covering their tracks with fire…
The fire response vehicles are also probably disturbing any tracks left by possible perpetrators, unintentionally, of course, on their way to the fire…
It sounds to me like their could be some very dangerous, desperate, individuals on the loose…
IMHO.
Theres definitely something weird going on.
Its time to be present and cautious in our actions.
Man thats a lot for Peter and telegraph vfd!! Thinking of you Peter, deadly house fires and folks ending their own lives, not easy to deal with. Especially so many in a short amount of time ?
Reading about the lack of help mentally for firefighters has made me wonder if we could get a fund going to help our local vfd folks have a safe place to process with a therapist.
These are volunteers folks.
They dont have a union or fund or a paycheck.
They shoulder these losses.
Make them some cookies or something at the least!!!
It needs to be thoroughly investigated, by an agency that knows what they are doing…
All deaths by fire are investigated by local law enforcement and are treated as suspicious until determined otherwise.
I’m aware of that and I know how it works.
Until deemed otherwise. I’ll just leave it at that.
May he rest in peace.
I wouldn’t put too much stock in those investigations. Trust me.
With all due respect…
They always are.
Got that right. Most rural volunteer fire orgs were born from tragic events. And when you’ve known the people for years that are victims of a fatal incident, it crushes a part of you. Old days we went to the bottle.
But these days critical incident debriefing is offered. Long for how’d that effect you and how do you feel about it. Super helpful after my 3rd critical incident.
Knew and loved each one lost. Don’t forget the ones you did save Peter and crew.
Old days we used to say “You can’t win them all”.
A proper Trustworthy Representative, with some clout, would be a good place to start.
They don’t even have a Designated Representative.
Nobody.
And Zero resources. Zero.
Not from CalFire, not from the Humboldt County Fire Chiefs Association, not from the CA EMSC Coordinator at North Coast EMS.
NOTHING.
Many times, they don’t even have the support of their own Departments Fire Chief.
My friend, a volunteer firefighter committed suicide…
I tried to help him, it wasn’t enough…
I really liked him, he had an easy laugh…
More help, which would be any help at all, is sorely needed.
If anybody is listening…
Please.
Not weird. Sad. It’s called heat and fuel. Your house is full of it. You have a stove? Water heater? Electricity? Poly foam? Fire extinguisher? Youth?
BINGO!
Someone thinking practical! SAD is for sure. RIP dad
Anyone who dies in a fire like this is subject to autopsy and that would determine the cause of death. Anyone who dies in a fire will have evidence of smoke inhalation. I can’t feature any home invaders leaving a victim alive and relying on chance to do their dirty work. Such speculation can be hurtful to the family and friends of the deceased, so how about exercising a little sensitivity?
My thoughts are with the loved ones of the deceased.
It’s an imperfect science. Trust me.
I don’t think it autopsy can be done at this point… Unfortunately…
Why not? It’s not like a total cremation.
Just about. It happens. God Bless you if you never have to see the after effect of an inferno. May my Father Rest in Peace on his beloved country land paradise.
Thank you “the deceased ” is my brother.
This is so sad. I am so sad sorry for the loss of your brother. Lots of love to you and your family.
Thank you, Nancy. Dad is at Peace on the Land. Just where he wanted to be. It was a terrible hot, hot fire.
Thank you. The accidental fire that took my Father was thousands of degrees. And melted all the glass windows. The inferno took all. And the authorities did their job. May he, an Air Force veteran, continue to rest in the land of Paradise he loved.
Sad to read that another person lost their life in a house fire on Ettersburg Road. RIP. I think this is two in a row, and I hope they find out what or who has caused the fires. Condolences to the person’s family and friends. A big thank you to Cal Fire, Telegraph Ridge Fire Department, Briceland Fire Department and Redway Fire Department for their work at the very sad scene.
I hope it’s not another consequence of another abatement with no way out…
The extortionists behind the abatement criminality, led by Ford, that demand people destroy their very homes, are also surely responsible for deaths of despair.
And, just like any other destructive, despicable, detestable, armed home invaders, they are a hideous breed of monsters of their own.
How many homes are they demanding their owners to destroy?
800 ?… Or is it, 1,800 ?…
What inhumane consequences will follow?
Hopefully this wasn’t one of them, in a last desperate attempt, to attempt to cope with the impossible to meet demands, from our
“Good Old Boys”… “County of Humboldt”.
It’s been happening out there, for sure.
Investigate that, too.
Hideous Monsters at Humboldt County Planning and Building, plotting to destroy.
That sort of hopeless, extortionist, duress will be a little bit harder to put a stop to.
It’s search, search, search, seize, seize, seize..
Unreasonable, armed, thieving, scoundrels.
But those filthy Humboldt County Code Enforcement home invaders have an edge…
The Sheriff’s are on THEIR side.
Just more of the same. Birds of a feather.
There won’t be any consequences, for any of them, they are all in cahoots.
It was not due to abatement. My father was here since 1974. His home he built with his own hands was grandfathered in. May the Air Force Veteran rest in PEACE.
Speculation is fine but I’d rather wait on the investigation details before lending me opinion on these (suspicious) fire events. Anyone actually know which homestead burned?
RIP to our unknown mate.
Theres a post on the garberville facebook page regarding which homestead was involved.
The page is open, where you can read posts and comments without a fb account.
https://d.facebook.com/groups/473436942760018?__tn__=CH-R
Thank you smart one. Air Force Veteran and original homesteader, Munson. At Rest in the Land of Paradise.
This may be where smoke alarms can come in handy. If a fire started while the gentleman was asleep it might have woken him up. When we sleep we don’t smell the smoke, hence folks are killed by smoke inhalation as much as the actual fire.
Motion detectors might be what could have saved him.
Maybe. Limited electricity off GRID. Would have had to have run off of battery.
Most are killed by smoke inhalation, I have heard from the firefighters, in these types of fires.
There are serious characters in Southern Humboldt. People not from the area but well integrated. Some of these people are on serious “watch lists”. This is the unspoken, unfortunate truth. A great example and question to ask, why is the Chicago FBI looking into young etters accident? There is something going on in that area that the public needs to know.
Could be the Mexican Drug Cartel. They don’t give a damn who or how they kill people. When found out in the hills on an illegal grow site I could care less if law enforcement put them in the ground. They are a disease on our local society!!!
Chicago would have more to do with Bulgarians than Mexicans in this case, i think. If indeed there’s a connection between weird Ettersburg tragedies and cannabis cartels.
Oh, don’t bother to play around in the dirt with these
uninformed alarmists who know nothing. Chicago? Please…
Young etter died 3 years to the Day after a bar fight with what I’m understanding was either a mobster or the son of a higher up from Chicago. Russian Mob.
I am told that bar fight is also what led to the closing of said bar. My understanding, dim at best is the owner of the bar was either killed or had an attempt on his life as well, in the Czech Republic where he was living at the time.
Sorry for your loss.. I know the family isn’t being told anything at all. My knowledge is from the top.
You just never know Laura, but the cartel has been raided a few times by our local law enforcement. But, as usual, for some reason they never seem to be there when the raid takes place. I think they have eyes and ears all over the place.
Or the “cartel” is a figment of your imagination. What if we applied the term Cartel to people here from New Jersey, instead of ONLY those with a Spanish, or Eastern European accents?
Freaking ridiculous.
Not in this Ettersburg Tragedy. Older gentleman living alone Off Grid. With limited resources and trying to survive since 1974.
Hopefully somebody like the FBI is looking into this fire as well.
And the last one.
They may be connected.
That’s the feeling I get.
Etters death as well.
This one is not connected at all to all this jibber jabber BS. My father, an Air Force Veteran, has been living on the land for 48 years. Lots of things can go wrong. And it did, unfortunately. Accidents happen – all you need is a heat source, and we all have combustibles all around us in our homes. He is at Peace in the Land of Paradise!
Not in this case. Accidental fire to an older man’s home. There is not something “going on” in Ettersburg. Everyone is just trying to live. Peacefully.
There seems to be a lot of speculation in the comments about this fire being caused by criminals or criminal activity.
The location and the nature of the home, and deceased resident, makes this very unlikely. This was no pot farm, and there was nothing really worth stealing. Although the cause has not been officially determined, it was most likely accidental, possibly caused by an electrical or generator problem.
We mourn the loss of a friend and neighbor, but please don’t make this tragedy more than it already is.
If you haven’t already, install smoke detectors, and make sure they are functioning properly. They could save your life.
In incidents like this one, responders are offered (and were here) CISD, Critical Incident Stress Debriefing.
There are some very good people in the emergency services community to help responders cope with these situations.
Thank you. I feel your assessment has more merit than all the hyperbole of some evil force. Old wooden homes in the country, older person, Lots of possible causes.
I agree. There are some posters here who live in a dark and melodramatic world. Cartels, abatement suicides blah blah blah.Condolences to friends and family.
Look around friend, it is a dark and melodramatic world. I guess you are blind as to what is happening in the US, Ukraine, etc.
He should count his blessings if he can’t recall a violent crime, involving himself or someone he knows, within the last year…
There is a very old statistic that states that if you, or someone you know, hasn’t been the victim of violent crime, within the last year, you are statistically overdue…
Unless of course , one lives in a “bubble”…
You should go back to nit picking covid numbers. You seem obsessed with rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. And that would be a no on your violence speculation about me.
What do you know about fighting fire, Dave?
Quite a bit actually. I was a firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service after I came back from Nam. Locally I served on both the Fruitland and Phillipsville Volunteer fire departments.
I sort of remembered that…
No stranger to violence or fire, then…
That would explain why you’re not easily ruffled.
You really never witnessed anything, questionable or suspicious, or even something that seemed possibly criminal?
This is the correct assessment, dawni. May my father rest in Peace. No evil forces here. My father would have been 76 in October.
Give me a name of who is responsible for the well being of the volunteer firefighters in Southern Humboldt, please.
Who goes to bat for them?
I’m not familiar with that name.
Do tell. Like I said…
Please.
CalFire is facing increasing difficulty of their own…
What are the stats for volunteers?
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/theyre-at-the-point-of-exhaustion-calfire-faces-staffing-issues/
https://calmatters.org/environment/2022/06/california-firefighter-trauma-ptsd/
Just a thought before we go all “FBI” about these fires, but I think it’s more likely that we’re dealing with old wooden structures with old electrical wiring instead of drug cartels or any other nefarious causes. I live in an old redwood house myself and I’m fully aware of how quickly these old houses can burn (they’re basically kindling). I knew the gentleman who passed because of yesterday’s fire and he was a gentle and generous soul and I truly doubt that there was anything criminal involved. As to two fires in such a short time, well, I’m sorry to say this but since so many of these old houses in the hills were built around the same time so maybe these fires aren’t as suspicious as it appears. I’m not suggesting that this not be investigated I’m suggesting that this just might be a wake-up call to homeowners to add “inspect wiring” to their list of “fire hardening” of their homes.
Thank you for your very kind comments. Which are very true. I can say that because I am his sister. I live in Illinois and will be waiting for the final results. My heart goes out to Christina. I’m still reeling in the shock of it! Even though we lived far apart we were very close.
Janice, I’m so sorry to have read this news. I was very fond of your brother. It is a real loss to the community.
Thank you. Reading all the comments here and on facebook has been very comforting for me.
Janice, I to feel so very sorry for the loss of your brother. May he RIP and God bless you and your family.
Thank you
Condolences, he’ll be missed in this community, a man of many talents.
Thank you
Thank You! We have been here since 1974. RIP Dad.
There is a turn of mind in us that denies unexpected, sudden death. Many of us will try to explain it away with speculation. However, there is always reality.
Burblestein,
There is more than one kind of denial…
After your comment, I looked up the odds of dying in a house fire…
2.72 per 100,000 population. (65 yrs and up), per year, so, considering this is the second house fire fatality in 32 days, in a very small radius, with nowhere near 100,000 population, I would say it is extremely unusual.
2 deaths, in 136,000 people, the entire population of Humboldt County, would be exactly 2.72 per 100,000.
For all of Humboldt County, 2 fatal house fires in 32 days is 11.4 times the given odds.
And the 2 are for only between Perry Meadow, and the 2600 Block of Ettersburg Road.
A very small radius, with a very small population.
I’m sure that there have been more house fire fatalities, within the last year, in all of Humboldt County.
That is the reality.
Deny it all you want.
This is very unusual.
And that’s a fact.
Darn it, I think I did that wrong…
It would actually be 1.47 per 100,000… For 27 days.
Times 13.52
19.87 per 100,000.
7.3 times the odds…
For all of Humboldt County, not just Perry Meadow to 2600 Block of Ettersburg Rd.
There was actually another one back on December 23,2021. Near Trinidad.
Unusual perhaps to you. But after living on the land 48 years, anything can happen to my Father. And it did. Tragedies are a part of life. May he rest in Paradise. Check your fire safety for sure! ~ His daughter.
Dad was almost 76. So odds go up when elderly are living alone. He had decided to come live with me in November. He didn’t make it.
Reality is full of tragedy. As much as we want otherwise. RIP dad.
There is no conspiracy here, just a tragedy. RIP Uncle Punny. It is hard to believe I won’t run in to you anymore in town. Your beat up cowboy hat and infectious smile will be missed. I am thankful I had you in my life for so long and thankful my daughter got to know you through all the school plays you recorded. Much love to Christina and the rest of the family.
Thank you, sweetie! No conspiracy at all. 48 years on the land! Accidental in nature. He is flying high & reunited with his wife.
Egad, enough with the qanon conspiracy nonsense