Blue Heron Burns Today; Bien Padre Fryer Fire Yesterday
–Saving People and Chips–
Staff Report
Humboldt Sentinel
Humboldt Bay Fire was called out to the Blue Heron Lodge
located at 2245 Broadway Street in Eureka just before 8 a.m.
this morning for a 2-alarm structure fire.
Fire investigators said the moderate blaze started in a back storage shop area where it quickly spread to two rooms, sending coils of thick smoke through the early morning commute traffic on Broadway.
Because the blaze affected electricity throughout the Blue Heron building, all occupants of the fourteen-room motel reportedly were displaced as a result of the fire.
The Red Cross was called out and will assist those who were made temporarily homeless because of the fire.
Investigators have not yet given a cause for the fire.
Officials detained one person who was reportedly a suspect for further questioning but said the person wasn’t arrested at the time. They stressed the origin of the blaze is pending investigation.
Firefighters say most of the fire damage was limited to two rooms.
It took firefighters about 10 minutes to get the fire under control. A smoke-filled Broadway was restricted to one lane as officials worked to clean up the scene.
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On Thursday, January 31st, at 6 a.m. in the morning, three Fire Engines, one ladder truck, and two chief officers from Humboldt Bay Fire were dispatched to a reported commercial structure fire at 1459 Railroad Ave housing the Bien Padre Foods business.
Upon arrival, the first due engine reported a single story metal building with nothing of a fire showing.
Bien Padre employees on scene reported to fire crews that one of the tortilla chip frying machines was on fire.
Crews entered the building and noted light to moderate smoke within and were able to locate the machine in question. The machine did have a small amount of fire showing from within, which the crews were able to extinguish with a dry chemical fire extinguisher.
Crews remained on scene for approximately an hour to ventilate the structure and ensure that the fire was completely out.
The fire was originally discovered by the production manager who had arrived at work earlier that morning. Upon entering the building, she stated she smelled the smoke and began to investigate.
She located the fire and initially attempted to fight the fire with
extinguishers from the business. When she was unable to
suppress the fire, she phoned 911.
Damage was confined to the frying machine of origin, causing approximately $30,000 in damage.
No one was injured in this incident. The cause of the fire is under investigation but is not suspicious and likely was caused by a mechanical failure of the machine.
It is unknown if any tortilla chips were burned.
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(Posted by Skippy Massey)
