Illegal Firework Ignites Hillside in Shelter Cove
Late on the night of July 4th, a fire broke out on the rugged steep hillside above the Shelter Cove Marina, reportedly sparked by an illegal firework. The incident occurred shortly after the conclusion of the main fireworks display, which had been safely set off from a barge offshore and had entertained the community for over two hours.Shelter Cove Fire Department representative, Cheryl Antony said fire personnel had just returned to the station and were preparing to head home when their pagers went off at 11:38 PM, alerting them to the new blaze. The fire, situated high above the marina, posed a significant challenge due to its difficult access and steep terrain.
Responding swiftly, the fire crew employed a dual strategy to tackle the blaze. A fire truck was positioned below the hillside, using its powerful hoses to shoot water upwards. Simultaneously, another team accessed the area from above, utilizing water and hand tools to fight the fire directly. The affected area measured approximately 50 by 50 feet.
This location has a troubling history, having been the site of two fires during previous Fourth of July celebrations and another fire on New Year’s Eve in the past two years, according to Chief Nick Pape of the Shelter Cove Fire Department.
Shelter Cove Fire expressed their gratitude to neighboring fire departments, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Whale Gulch, Briceland, and Whitethorn, for their crucial support during this fire season. Additionally, they acknowledged the efforts of their Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), whose vigilant monitoring throughout the night played a vital role in alerting authorities to emergencies.
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All fun and games until everything is reduced to ashes.
And someone loses their life. Time to ban this garbage and have a few and SAFE shows around the county. Thank you, Shelter Cove Fire Department and other responding resources.
“Late on the night of July 4th, a fire broke out…reportedly sparked by an illegal firework.”
Already banned – what’s needed is enforcement.
Enforcement is needed to stop and catch folks using this illegal garbage. A lot of things are banned like underage drinking, drug use, etc. All which require law enforcement to act.
the same people saying “where’s law enforcement” are the ones saying defund them so yall needa pick a side. Fireworks are illegal, people who want to do illegal things will continue to do illegal things whether or not we post about it. What matters is we need more funding for our local enforcement officers so that they can have enough people hired to stop these fireworks
I stand firm on never defunding any law enforcement agency!!
Remember kids, don’t play with fireworks. Leave that to the adults that have been drinking all day.
I guess the Crescent City explosion was catastrophic.
14 injured a three year old hit by a mortar medevaced. Critical condition. The whole display went off at once. Story on lost coast outpost/ wild rivers
https://www.times-standard.com/2024/07/05/14-hurt-in-fireworks-mishap-at-crescent-city-beach/
Wow! That is awful. The person responsible will probably walk away with zero responsibility.
kymkemp.com/2024/07/05/mass-casualty-incident-on-crescent-city-beach-after-fireworks-accident-yesterday/
Sounds pretty bad; I didn’t know about it when I posted my snarky comment.
Ditto stopping the fireworks. What Humboldt County needs are some outdoor roller skating rinks. These would be a great way to enjoy our warmer weather. Skating would also give kids a positive outlet for their endless energy.
Cue Queen’s ‘Another One Bites the Dust’!
If this is patriotism,
Then I must be part of some other country
In the woods new years is fun.
I myself was in shelter cove on the 4th and I don’t know what barge your speaking off because there wasn’t one. The fireworks were set off by multiple parties and were fired right from the base of the shore line. The best show I’ve ever seen hands down. There were two tiny fires ignited simultaneously and were extinguished within seconds by on lookers about 15 feet behind from where our group sat and maybe 25 feet in front of us. The community was very quick to react. As for this fire we had already left the area and did not know of it until moment’s ago. Hopefully people in the future will be a bit more careful. Or volunteer fire department will have a truck on standby until the marina has been completely vacated and also possibly supply more trash and recycling bins. And to the comment on ” banning this garbage and building outdoor roller rinks” Really you can’t be serious. Growing up we went to the roller rink as children to meet up to drink and smoke so best of luck to that idea. I have a 17 yr old and another due this winter. It’s hard enough to ensure the safety of our children just allowing them to attend school and being reprimanded, fined and threatened with jail if we do not make them go. The Pledge of allegiance is already no longer as well as acceptance of people is few and far and being a person of color and or flaunting your sexual preferences is praised while Americans as a whole suffer paying taxes for foreign countries while 60% of its civilization is starving,poverty stricken and poisoned by everything from our food sources, air quality, mental health, pharmaceuticals and surely what it means to have and uphold family traditions and values. “Illegal fireworks” a few times a year should be the last thing banned and are an “American tradition” since the birth of our nation you know back when people kept their sexual orientation private and instead showed concern for our neighbors and communities. Now that all privacy and concern has vanished from “we the people” you now want to ban celebration of our nation birthday! How about turning focus to being vigilant and compassion for our nation and its people and our safety. “We the people ” dont have much to count or depend on at all anymore and barely can make time for our families and even less so time for selfcare. Do you really feel it necessary to take away or ban what Itty bitty American freedoms that we barely have a hold on? Besides there are not to many activities that bring communities together these days especially free to the civilian public to participate in.
We have fire personnel for a purpose and this incident happens to be one of those purposes. Guide help and protect your fellow American people and act with a purpose instead of merely responding out of fear.