Wind-Driven Fire Destroys Multiple Downtown Arcata Buildings Nearly 25 Years After Previous Fire in the Same Area
Flames consumed multiple businesses in Arcata yesterday. [Video by Mark Harris.]
Though multiple businesses were destroyed, there were no injuries to civilians or firefighters during a major wind-driven commercial structure fire that broke out Friday afternoon in downtown Arcata on H Street just a block off the Plaza, according to Arcata Fire Public Information Officer Dave White.
The fire was first discovered around 2:30 p.m. when one of Arcata Fire’s units was returning from a medical aid call and spotted flames.
Flames and black smoke are punctuated by loud pops as the fire takes off. [Video by Simon Moreno]
Firefighters discovered heavy fire in a two-story commercial building, with flames spreading into adjoining structures.
Flames destroying a popular Arcata mural on an H Street business. [Video by Ryan Hutson]
“High winds from the south contributed greatly to the spread of the fire,” White said during a press briefing at the scene. The wind pushed the flames and caused the fire to spread quickly.
Flames as seen from 9th Street looking up the space between two buildings towards Northtown Books. [Photo by Mark McKenna]
A steady stream of water helped keep the flames from spreading. [Photo by Mark McKenna]
Ladder trucks help direct water from overhead. [Photo by Mark McKenna]
The interior of one of the businesses glows through broken windows. [Photo by Mark McKenna]
The charred and smoking ruin of a beloved bookstore. [Photo by Mark McKenna]
Flames light up an excavator demolishing the still burning bookstore. [Photo by Mark McKenna]
Heavy machinery was used to take down much of the block. [Photo by Mark McKenna]
PG&E crews use a piece of heavy equipment to access the gas line that helped feed the flames. [Photo by Ryan Hutson]
Firefighters kept water trained on the buildings as darkness fell. [Photo by Mark McKenna]
Yesterday’s fires brought up memories of an earlier devastating downtown Arcata fire in July 2001, when flames at H and Ninth streets destroyed three buildings, including historic Victorians and the Northcoast Environmental Center. According to the North Coast Journal’s article from the time, witnesses described believing the fire was under control—only to watch it suddenly roar back, collapsing buildings and wiping out decades of history.
That fire, like yesterday’s, spread through older construction, accelerated by wind and closely connected structures.
Lights from the ladder truck help heavy equipment operators direct their work. [Photo by Mark McKenna]
A scarred landscape of battered and smoking ruins glow under working lights. [Photo by Mark McKenna]
[Photo by Mark McKenna]
[Photo by Mark McKenna]
Smokey OG posted this stating, “11pm entire half block is a pile of steaming rubble. 2nd truck in the kitchen store parking lot stopped pumping about 10:30pm. Still on stand by. The truck on H is still pumping into the debris following the excavator. Heavy rain, no smoke but still steaming in places. Northtown Books. Global Village Gallery. Serious losses for Arcata. They will be sorely missed!”
A commenter calling themself Jeffrey Steinkamp stated with this photo they posted, “9 pm, now just historical rubble.”
The commenter who uploaded this hellscape said simply, “Some words… .”
Attorney Mark Harris, who provided video at the top of the article showing flames tearing through the buildings, watched the fire from atop his own century-old structure nearby. “I was up there on my 100-year-old building, and I think I had—probably unfortunately—the best seat in the house,” Harris wrote afterward. “Watching history disappear, thinking about 100 years ago, that would’ve taken out half of town… .”
Firefighters with their modern apparatus were able to keep the flames from spreading beyond the block, but, if this fire is anything like the fires that have gone before, for the business owners, residents, and community members affected, the loss reaches far beyond property or money—it is the loss of places, memories, and pieces of Arcata’s history.
NOTE: Humboldt Bay Fire states, “IF YOU ARE DISPLACED: The City of Arcata is working with the Red Cross as well as State and County officials to provide access to resources and safety to you. Please contact the Red Cross at (707) 496-8278 for next steps to access these services.”
Note: We had inadvertently omitted Ferndale Fire from our list of those agencies who responded. We’ve corrected this above.
Earlier: Fully Involved Structure Fire at 823 10th Street in Arcata
Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules
Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/
Shocking…
Nice job by the FD!
Thank you Dante for saving North Town Books after the previous owner died. I loved your store so much. I’m so sorry.
Horrific as it was, it could have been worse. Bless our firefighters and heavy equipment operators.
I’m so grateful for our firefighters, and that no one got hurt. And I’m crying all over again.
Like the Dudes “Rug” Northtown Books was Arcata. And now it’s gone……just another reason to leave Humboldt as all the “light” has now faded for good. And nothing will be the same ever again…..sad.
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. It did “really tie the ‘town’ together”.
“I see you’ve got your fist out, say your piece and get out
Yes, I get the gist of it, but it’s alright
Sorry that you feel that way, the only thing there is to say
Every silver lining’s got a touch of grey
I will get by.
We will survive”
-G.D.
I know the rent is in arrears
dog has not been fed in years
its even worse than it appears
and it’s alright
That you feel that deeply particularly about a bookstore, not even just for the nostalgia of books but for the repository of human experience and effort, being shared, is a reason I for one hope you stay; we need people who feel deeply across the spectrum of emotions to put deep roots in here help keep us awake to what we need to grow.
I don’t know you other than from comments here, which I haven’t reviewed and being older with a lot to deal with in my life, I sometimes don’t recall specifics at least not quickly. Haven’t been particularly thrilled with your name because it feels in contrast and in reaction to BLM, theirs long overdue and taking a minute to get some attention – I’m not thrilled with someone hitching a ride on that. Also, you’re not wrong about all lives mattering.
I suspect there is some historical content here: Dec. 9 2016 – Bill Ayers returns to NorthTown Books.
True resilience and strength of Humboldt’s finest will survive well. See ya !
🤔 🧐 ,
Editor,
The second photo’s caption…
“A steady stream of fire helped keep the flames from spreading. [Photo by Mark McKenna]”
…needs a slight adjustment…
LOL. They were describing the fire line! Punny too.
Nope..There were nearby buildings that could have caught fire. They keep the fire contained to buildings already on fire. It’s a tight area there between buildings and with the wind other buildings could easily have caught fire.
You are wrong…
The caption was subsequently corrected by the Editor…
Initially, the caption stated, “A steady stream of “fire”, [not water], “helped keep the flames from spreading.”…
Once again Arcata makes a huge impact on climate change, opacities were through the roof.
Opacities ? First sentence, that’s just sad and feels saturated with apathy. You’re gonna be ranging lone a lot more with communication like that.
Yes opacity, thats a C.A.R.B. term. Thought it was funny , ” through the roof” get it? Lol that’s where the smoke Aka opacity went. Crack me up.
You’re already cracked.
Do fires crack you up too?
Nope , fires cost us hard working taxpayers far too much money. Arcata cracks me up though, one walk around town and I’m rolling. Reminds me of Sequoia zoo when was a kid and would die laughing at ole Bill’s sweet moves.
Thanks to the entire RRHB Crew and bystanders for the excellent reporting on this horrific event. Our local fire crews are the best. What a response!
Female reporter on scene was so articulate in the midst of all that chaos very impressive. Hit all the key points including potential injuries, even the cause which she quickly said in her video they were investigating, and it may have just been I forget the word she used, but she was careful not to insight rush to judgment. no extra fluff.
That was Ryan Hutson who, earlier that day, was at King Salmon reporting on the flood. She had a very busy day.
Ryan was fantastic. In my opinion, stellar.
Just what I thought… the murals don’t help
Don’t help what? They’re gone too. Is a steaming pile more aesthetically pleasing?
This is the funniest comment so far. 😂😂😂
Does anyone here remember when the original Hensel’s burned up?
Yes New years eve 1994
You wouldn’t think a soaking wet building would burn like that…
Well, it’s one way to make your cash flow…
I hope they had insurance…
The inside of occupied buildings is generally warm and dry
So many plastics and other materials that are likely even more flammable than wood. Sadly, all those books like kindling once the fire reaches a certain level of heat. It starts drying out everything nearby like the sun with scorch anything near it.
My former home in Mendocino Co. burned to the ground on a rainy night. I was grateful that the conditions helped prevent the fire from spreading into the woods.
I’m so sorry, but I’m glad you survived.
Yes Ann, Ditto on getting out and surviving. Guess you live north now.
Fire is scary. Been there
I will say I was amazed at all the people who were standing in the streets watching, breathing in all the fumes from the paint, and extremely high amount of airborne asbestos that old buildings like that had throughout them.
If they’d had asbestos they wouldn’t have burned so readily. Asbestos is fireproof. They probably weren’t insulated at all, making it easy for fire to make it’s way through the walls.
The list of “what can you do to prevent this and maintain coverage” from the next building insurer is going to be a mile long.
And all this was happening with fairly strong winds and a large gas leak. Apparently there isn’t any fire foam systems like airports have to put out fuel fires. Water was used. What would fire departments use if a propane supplier caught fire? KABOMB?
If only we founded the fire department as well as we do law-enforcement.
Jet fuel is a liquid and forms puddles on the ground. Natural gas is a – you guessed it – gas. It’s pressurized and floats in the air.
You must be thinking of grease fires, which can’t be put out with water. Natural gas fires can.
I was STUNNED to learn there are no readily accessible gas shut offs and that the ruptured lines that fed this disasterous inferno could not be addressed until they fking dug up the street to access the feed and drop a hot tap valve???
What the actual fuck!!!
(A hot tap (short for hot tapping) is when PG&E (or any gas utility) installs a valve onto a live, pressurized gas main while gas is still flowing without shutting down the entire line. They literally: Excavate down to the pipe (yes, even during an active fire), Clamp on a special fitting, Drill into the live pipe using specialized gear, And drop in a valve to finally shut off the gas.)
What is this, the 1920s???
The Arcata fire exposes what’s been true in disaster after disaster in cali: our natural gas infrastructure is dangerously outdated.
There are no fast shutoffs. When a gas line ruptures, and feeds structure fires, crews have to wait for equipment and specialized crew to dig up the street just to stop the flow while buildings burn and lives and livelyhoods are threatened. 😡
PG&E has known this for decades, yet refuses to modernize with automated or curbside shutoffs. They ream the public up the ar$e every month but they remain indifferent to human life and refuse to update the infrastructure.
Not news : Gas is flammable.
This system – to state the obvious – is outdated, cumbersome and extremely dangerous!
This fire was fed by open gas lines. Everyone on scene knew it. But the narrative blames “wind,” just like (ahem) a couple other disasters in California that were due to PG&E’s felonious and negligent behavior. As if the gusts of an incoming storm excuses criminally outdated infrastructure. PG&E has known for decades that the lack of fast shutoffs leads to fires spiraling out of control – destroying property and putting lives at risk. And still, no fixes. No auto shutoffs. No block valves. Just excuses and indifference by a monopolized and greedy AF corporate entity.
Now half a city block in the heart of Arcata is gone. How many more landmarks have to burn, and lives displaced or lost before PG&E is held accountable and gets dragged into the 21st century?
I agree, end natural gas use now.
PGE is a criminal enterprise at this point. People need work and they could be using their overflowing revenue to fix these issues and save lives. RIP Paradise
Seriously. That these modernized safety features are not already in place is cause for alarm and outrage.
Chat bot plays natural gas infrastructure remediation engineer :
How to Fix California’s Natural Gas Shutoff Gap:
1. Map the Problem
Audit all gas lines: age, material, locationIdentify areas with no block shutoffs or seismic valves2. Install Shutoff Valves
Ensure manual shutoffs at every meter are accessibleAdd block-level valves to mains for fast isolationExpand use of automatic seismic shutoff valves in quake/fire zones3. Add Smart Sensors
Pressure sensors detect ruptures in real timeTrigger alerts or remote shutoffs instantly4. Fund and Phase It In
Use PG&E/SoCalGas profits + FEMA + disaster grantsPrioritize high-risk areas (urban + seismic)2–3 years for urgent zones, 10–15 for full rollout5. Enforce It
Mandate through CPUC, building codes, local disaster planningThe estimated cost to upgrade California’s natural gas shutoff infrastructure statewide — including block-level valves, pressure sensors, and seismic shutoffs — is between $5 and $10 billion.
A more targeted approach, focusing on high-risk seismic and wildfire zones, could be done for around $1 to $2 billion over 2 to 3 years.
Compare that to recent disasters:
The 2010 San Bruno explosion, caused by a PG&E gas main rupture, killed 8 people and resulted in $1.6 billion in fines, plus over $500 million in civil claims.
The 2018 Camp Fire, also linked to PG&E infrastructure, killed 85 people and cost $13.5 billion in settlements. The total cost to rebuild Paradise after that fire has exceeded $16 billion.
Even the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which led to gas-fed fires in the Bay Area, caused $6 to $8 billion in damages when adjusted to today’s dollars.
Bottom line: retrofitting the gas shutoff system would cost less than a single preventable catastrophe.
PG&E isn’t alone in the blame. Even the voting public can share the blame for your rant.
We have a government in Sacramento that has allowed PG&E money to buy favors in exchange for campaign funding, which makes it’s way back into politician pockets.
A commission appointed by Newsome has allowed our energy prices to soar, Newsome wavied fines placed on PG&E for their part in burning 2 communities to the ground, while raising the energy costs to cover for law suits.
And the voting public turns a blind eye to these politics and continues to vote them in. If we allow politicians to cover for big businesses while they collect campaign funds from them, then we are just as guilty as those businesses for not protecting our own communities.
This has been going on for decades, through both Democrat and Republican governorship.
I can’t say publicly what I think should be done with the members of the California public utilities commission.
Absolutely. I have finally gotten so tired of all the complaining even about the billionaires WITHOUT mentioning how we have been feeding this political fire for so long, so many decades.
Our hyper consumptive demands for more and more more CRAP while infrastructure investments are ignored or gutted. “We want our MTV and chicks for free “ (those two things are relatively eco friendly though LOL) as the 1980s song sung and people were binge watching Lifestyles of the Rich and famous, Dallas, etc. while ENron thew parties and laughed about elderly dying from the cold. Those trends morphed into watching and supporting celebrities with butt implants and Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Trumpy Dumpty Firing people with glee .
I miss the gem shop across from the co-op. They sold only natural things and their heart was in Our ecosystem.
Also, we should be all up in government’s business participating locally should be a monthly thing instead of it expecting government to operate for us like some kind of vending machine. We throw a few coins and it gives us what we want. Or more apt expecting it to run like a car we do not maintain.
So many vital basic needs perhaps should be handled by government which has the potential power of Economy of Scale economics that we allow the corporations but not our infrastructures. Utilities should not go to the lowest bidder.
People Get all up in arms In comments,about child molesters and abusers However, funding the foster system and more supports in general like mental health for struggling families? Oh no, we’ve got to have all our toys even as grown-ups and go to Disneyland for vacation and have our McNuggets and idle in line for In-N-Out Burger. Don’t get me started
You say rant like it’s a bad thing 😆
So it’s not PG&E’s fault for failing to modernize their existing lethal infrastructure, it’s the public’s fault for not voting harder?
We are all aware of Sacramento’s complicity, Newsom’s hand-waving, and CPUC’s failures.
But here’s the difference: PG&E is the one who is digging up the street to install hot taps (which I personally never knew was a thing until yesterday) during live fires because they won’t install basic shutoff valves!
Maybe I’m not bright enough to see that that is a politics problem, or a crisis which could have been avoided with votes. 🤔
I do think it’s plain to see that the state of our lacking and outdated natural gas infrastructure is a strategic and logistical choice made by a mega-monopolized corporate entity and leads directly to structures, nay – entire city blocks – burning down!
Voters should be furious. But I don’t think that justifies deflecting blame from the utility company that’s already been criminally convicted for killing people and insists on operating with turn of the LAST century analog tech – in 2026!
I was thinking the same thing how is there no fail safe or shut off!
I was also shocked to learn that there is no system in place to logically shut off a broken gas line! Assumed that PG&E could just shut down valves farther back, shut off the flow of gas into that grid. I hope there’s a logical reason for this extremely happy-go-lucky system!
THE WIND- it was gusting extremely at the time of this fire! So as much as I’d like to blame PG&E for everything I was there and witnessed extreme wind conditions. As the paint store burned and the flames reached 3 stories high the gusty wind whipped it into a frenzy rapidly snapping direction from North (directly at The Minor Theater and Humbrews) to West (towards Salt) to Northwest (Estebans/old Crosswinds and Wildwood Music). I saw people on the north side of 11th St hosing down their houses because it did look very possible like the wind could jump it over there! THE WIND!! This fire could have easily been much worse and much more destructive. I was very impressed that the fire departments of Humboldt County kept on it and prevented that from happening. We may still see massive smoke damage to these neighboring businesses from the huge amounts of toxic smoke battering these businesses.
We were extremely lucky. Lucky that nobody was injured let alone killed! Lucky that it was contained to this one block. Estebans/Crosswinds in particular looked extremely endangered in it’s old wooden Victorian. I’m so glad the fire was contained and then stopped. It could have easily been so much worse.
I really appreciate your first hand account of the wind impacts, it adds context.
And obviously, praise and gratitude is due to the fire fighters for their heroic and highly trained/skilled efforts. 💜
Wind impacts and firefighter protocol aside, I think it’s fair to raise the question of how much of that early fire activity , flame intensity, reach, and volume was fed by that open gas line?
Not much of the early activity, i don’t think. The gas leak occurred after the fire was already well underway. Today’s (Jan. 3, 3 pm) report says: “During operations, a natural gas manifold serving the structures was damaged, and firefighters were unable to shut down the gas supply.”
Yesterday’s initial reporting -which dropped at 2:50 pm – mentions the ruptured main in the second paragraph.
Based on that reporting it may be fair to conclude that natural gas being released from compromised pipes contributed to the early activity of this fire.
“Emergency crews were dispatched around 2:30 p.m. to a structure fire at 823 10th Street in Arcata, where the building was reported to be fully engulfed with an exposure threat to nearby structures, according to information from scanner listeners and emergency traffic.
Emergency personnel on scene reported a ruptured gas main in the building, adding to the hazard as firefighters work to contain the blaze.”...
I guess it all depends upon how you define “early activity” of the fire. The initial reporting you reference says that the building was fully engulfed; yes, i guess compared to after the fire had its way with the rest of the half block, that was early on. But not in the sense of its being a cause. Before firefighters even arrived, flame and wind had done enough work on old wood to create an inferno.
This former trainer and PG&E first-responder thinks differently.
That fire was fed by natr gas. And the inordinate time required to literally drag heavy machinery into town to dig up the street in order to crimp the line to shut down that fuel (ie combustible) source made that uncapped fuel source an significant contributing factor.
We need gas utilities to install accessible shutoff valves for all mains. Contact Mike McGuire at [email protected] and Chris Rogers with the form at https://a02.asmdc.org/contact . If the utilities are held responsible for a percentage of the damage when a main is involved, maybe they’ll pay attention.
They already have shut off valves per regulations. Usually they’re located at the meters themselves and, unless you intentionally block them, should be easily to access and turn off. The ones on old buildings and homes are pretty similar.
PG&E meter design regulations (state regs actually). Shut-offs are on Page 7.(PDF)
How to shut them off
Various types of metering and shut-off valves.
Yes, every home has a meter shutoff.
But in the Arcata fire, the gas line rupture happened before the meter, upstream, meaning no one on-site could shut it off. That’s why PG&E had to excavate the street and do a hot tap.
The problem isn’t with house shutoffs it’s that most gas mains don’t have any localized valves to isolate a block or street quickly. That’s the retrofit we need. Otherwise, every rupture is at risk of becoming a slow-motion disaster, exactly like this.
I was there; there was nothing slow motion about it. Warm day, high wind, old wooden buildings, and natural gas speeding things along; the place went up like a torch.
Looks like more tax hikes, our sales tax is now 9.75% so police and fire get more money in Arcata we’ll anytime they start talking improvement more sales tax hikes. let’s just make sales tax 80% and be done with it
It just breaks my heart to see all the burned-out buildings which are just a big pile of rubble. By the grace of God and our outstanding fires departments working hand in hand there have not been any deaths or serious injuries. I hope many of the businesses that were burned out can somehow regroup and start all over again. I guess to sum it up it looks like hell on earth.
Lmao. You call those firefighters? They were a bunch of 🐈’s. I’ll say it publicly. That was the biggest failure and they don’t deserve any praise. I’ve seen real firefighters. Fight fires in incredibly dangerous scenarios. Nearly everyone was talking shit about them. They couldn’t even bust open dandars with 4 firefighters. They didn’t break any windows. They literally watered the bricks and had no intention of saving the building. There was no one there. They saved nothing. Cats died and people lost everything.
They were delayed and restricted in their activities by an open gas line feeding the blaze.
Arcata fire are top tier but a gas-fed inferno is not a typical structure fire.
And that the bookstore on the leeward side -that was intact when AFD first were on scene, is now leveled? It speaks to the atypical behavior of this disaster.
But yay! Thanks to reckless and lazy PG&E, and media complicity atypical is the new normal !
Nothingto see here ..just the wind. 🙄
Let’s not forget that four amazing local artists – Laura Corsiglia, Carol Andersen, Peggy Rivers, and Van Shield – also lost their studios (that they’d only moved into a few months ago) and decades of irreplaceable art work in this awful fire. They are just as important as the “flagship” businesses mentioned in the reports.
Yeah so was the woman Semiramis Ozruh, at Humboldt Exhange. 40 years of her a being a professional artist from turkey. Entire life collection and collections from artist from all around the Humboldt and the world.
First, it’s too bad this turned into a rant against PG&E. Second, let’s hope that our local government officials and dreaded insurance companies can do a better job recovering and rebuilding than the evil southern california cabals. AFD and the allied agencies had their work cut out for them. Nice stop. And once again great job by the RHBB crew. Thank you.
Well, a level 3 gas emergency that is now being blame-shifted to “the wind” is worthy of attention.
Labeling fact-laden emotional remarks about reckless PG&E “too bad” is actually ….wait for it….gas lighting an ironically, and tragically gas-lit story.
There was remarkable reporting.
And there was top tier efforts of fire response, who – despite their acclaimed skill and training – were actually unable to save the buildings on the LEEWARD side that were still intact upon arrival—- because of the wind? No.
Because of the lengthy unfettered intrusion of natural gas.
Holy cow. Looks like the main offices of the IRGC.
A great loss of some iconic Arcata businesses. Our heart breaks for the owners. So glad so many resources were able to get there so soon on this dangerously windy day. Even more relieved there were no injuries or loss of life.
Like the Phoenix, this area will rise again…. Meanwhile, we mourn.
Oh No! Not North town books😖