Fatal Fire in Phillipsville Encampment Under Investigation
A person living in a Phillipsville encampment died in a fire early Wednesday afternoon, according to scanner traffic and emergency responders.
Just before 1 p.m. on November 19, firefighters from CAL FIRE and several local volunteer departments were dispatched to reports of a structure fire on Phillipsville Loop Road — a road Google Maps identifies as Phillipsville Road. When crews arrived, they quickly determined the fire was not in a residential building.
Further information from the scene confirmed the blaze occurred within a homeless encampment. Firefighters reported that one individual, possibly living in the encampment, did not survive.
A CAL FIRE investigator has been requested, along with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office coroner, to determine the cause of the fire and identify the deceased.
This is a developing story, and more information will be released as it becomes available.
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I am so very sorry that a person living in that encampment did not survive the fire. May the person RIP. Condolences to their family and friends.
That was a 1 person’s structure/tent, not an encampment. Although homeless, he was a valued & kind Phillipsville community member. He is missed by many whom knew him. Most of all, by the individuals that relied on him for physical help on a regular basis.
RIP. No one deserves to live nor die the way you did. I hope you & your little dog have reunited.
“No one deserves to live nor die the way you did.”
Homeless camps are not good for the environment, the community or the people living in them.
We cannot claim to be a compassionate society when we turn a blind eye to people living in intolerable conditions
This individual needed help — maybe just a room or cabin — maybe help with a drug or alcohol problem or mental health issues — but whatever help they needed they weren’t getting it.
When I met him, I was told, he had severe trauma & could not live indoors. That was why the property owner allowed him to stay in that land. I often wondered what would happen to him, once that land changed ownership. Well, that issue resolved itself.
Regardless of his trauma, I agree w/ you, people need assistance & should not be allowed to live under such conditions.
I never saw his camp, but I imagine it was a fire hazard, like so many substandard structures in Phillipsville.
IMO, several properties in Phillipsville are a tinderbox with some occupied by seniors w/ severe mobility issues.
I imagine these seniors have case workers &/or caregivers. Are case workers/care givers not required to report lack of fire access, clutter & electrical issues – when obvious?
I am not being dramatic, I honestly believe, It is just a matter of time before another tragedy could strike Phillipsville again. Just
take a drive around the Loop.
I hope Pete’s untimely death will bring some change to property owner’s personal attention to fire safety, in their properties.
Hope w/o actions is a fool’s errand & I have not ideas for what actions to take, in order to improve overall living conditions in town.
I invite people here to do a file search on “Phillipsville Fire”, you will find out another man died from a fire, in Phillipsville, in 2013. After that there were several structural fires, on the Loop. Some were not reported.
With that in mind, I have an unpopular question for ALL:
Is it unreasonable, to have a Fire Marshall, drive on the Loop & make pointed cleanup recommendations, for fire safety reasons, to property owners?
In many cases people know, it’s just real financial restraints. Showing up and telling them what they already know won’t help.
You have to have a legal vehicle to drive the loads to the dump. Really, for what’s out there to be hauled, that’s tens of thousands of dollars, just to get to each of the $200 dump fees. People don’t choose to live in tents and shanties. Say that guy didn’t want to live indoors, but had a cool million a year coming in. He’d have a nice fire-scaped indoor-outdoor plaza based home in Architecture Digest magazine.
And just so you don’t think that’s silly, remember the CEO of PG&E (one human) has pulled down $80 million over just the last 3 years. The CEO of Stellantis, $40 mil per year, highest paid auto exec after Musk… for selling expensive junk, cutting American jobs, and getting paid more than he can spend in a lifetime to do it. Oil: record profits. You don’t get increased profits during inflation, unless the inflation is because of your price gouging.
Using the excuse of “hauling trash cost too much $$” is a cop out for hoarders & lazy people – personal opinion here.
Most everyday generated trash can be burned on a regular basis & “collection of broken items to be fixed later” could be limited to a very manageable pile.
As a child, my aunt used to tell me, being poor does not equate to being filthy. My paternal grandparents, were very poor, except for the small plot of family land they lived on. Their home was a wood hut, made out of the trees from their land. The hut had clay (dirt) floors.
That clay/dirt floor was sparkling clean. Everyday, they would sprinkle water on the floor, & sweep it, using a broom, they made w/ plant materials from their yard.
They lived remotely & there was no electricity & the running water was from a creek that ran, elevated by a carved tree trunk, through their outdoor kitchen.
They burned their trash, regularly, & only stored items, in their property they used on their daily lives.
They were poor & managed to have an uncluttered home & land.
Barrel burning is against the law in CA
it is not illegal, in CA, to burn in an enclosed fire pit. Why would anyone use a barrel to burn anything?
cut the barrel in 3 parts & make an enclosed fire pit.
another option is, keep storing trash & eventually the whole thing will catch on fire & take your house & neighbor’s with it – way better solution.
James Utley
AKA Coffee Jim…
Died right days after being trapped in a trailer fire within a trailer that was so old and substandard that it had no egress other than the one entrance door that the fire prevented Mr. Utley from escaping through… at the Deerhorn Lodge…
It was a death trap that should never have been offered for rent to a person on social security, or to anyone else for that matter…
https://kymkemp.com/2021/05/03/early-morning-fire-in-phillipsville/
No one died in the 2021 fire – the link you posted here. The 2021 fire started next door to the trailer park & jumped over. It was arson by tweekers fighting.
https://kymkemp.com/2013/11/27/fire-phillipsville-sends-victim/
The victim in this fire in 2013, in an old dilapidated trailer rented out by Dottie Russel, died eight days after the fire…
His name was James Utley…
AKA Coffee Jim…
The trailer was a death trap with no escape….
What a horrible ending. I am very sorry to hear it.This poor individual.
Was there an investigation & any consequences, besides the loss of his life?
I suppose they exist, but all of the trailers and campers I have owned only had one door, but also had an overhead escape hatch above the bed–that is where the smoke can kill you in a minute.
But if we step back a bit and compare, the “junk” associated with a homeless camp, and a hypothetical pile of all the waste trash that is generated building a new “legit” home, the big difference is that the new build generates a bigger pile, but there’s money to haul the frass to a place that makes it disappear. Then once occupied, many a new suburban domicile generate such piles of empty liquor bottles an earnest hobo could only dream about.
What number do I call, I might have information that may help the investigation.
(707) 445-7251 is the HCSO number
Very nice comment. I was unaware that he had a dog that passed over “The Rainbow Bridge.” May they live and play together for the rest of time.
Thank you. Yes, his little dog, Bogart, was killed about a year ago, by another dog. They were each other’s companion.
Its heart breaking. No one deserves such a horrific death.
OMG, how sad!
I am so sorry to hear this. Sending sympathy and condolences to all who knew him.
This is so sad 😢Pete was such a nice guy always there to help anyone who needed it. He never caused anyone any harm to anyone. He loved animals and gardening and spending time with his friends. His death has caused a lot of heartache in the small town of Phillipsville.
His kind heart ❤️will surely be missed.
Rest in Peace🙏 with you best fur friend
Mr. Belvedere. My condolences to all those who love this wonderful man so sorry for your loss. 😢
How sad. I am so sorry to read this. People need safe shelter.
That’s someone’s son, daughter,brother,sister.My prayers for the family .
Thank you. Pete was friends to many in Phillipsville. He is missed.
I think its best not to jump to any conclusions about anything right away. This was definitely not an “encampment” in the traditional use of the word. Pete lived there alone and with permission from the landowner. He was not a hoarder and kept his place fairly clean from what i saw. No piles of junk anywhere. And i was told he did not have a heat source in his tent that might have started the fire.
Myself and others heard a gunshot from that direction right around when the fire started. The fire and the death are being investigated as “suspicious” by the fire department and the sheriff’s office of major crimes. I hope we can eventually get some clarity on what happened.
Pete was a great guy and it’s sad to see him go – that’s the third friend that died that way that I had, a totally unnecessary waste of human life….whatever the events leading up to those events, it was ultimately a reflection of our lacking as a society.
Rest in peace man, it was good to know you…..