Each time a dumpster fire burns, it costs you $500, this year HBF responded to 61 dumpster or refuse fires

12/6/18 at 2:29 A.M. a fire truck from Humboldt Bay Fire was dispatched to an investigation of the smell of smoke in a building in the area of Fourth and I Streets.

Fire personnel checked the entire structure but were unable to locate a source of smoke. A short while later the same Humboldt Bay Fire truck was dispatched to a dumpster fire a few blocks away from the first call on Fourth Street.

While fire personnel extinguished the dumpster fire, an additional dumpster nearby was found on fire. About two hours later, the Humboldt Bay Fire truck was again dispatched to a third dumpster fire a few blocks away from the earlier fires. The fire was extinguished and personnel searched a several block area for any sign of additional fires.

There was minor cosmetic damage to the buildings the dumpsters were next to. Each time a dumpster burns it costs waste management services approximately $500 dollars to remove, repair, and replace the damaged dumpsters. Although the damage to the adjacent structures was cosmetic, there will be repair costs to those as well.

This year Humboldt Bay Fire has responded to 61 dumpster or refuse fires. Many of the dumpsters that burned were found to either be unsecured or overflowing with combustibles such as cardboard or paper. Humboldt Bay Fire wants to encourage people to secure their dumpsters or to have them picked up more frequently if they are overflowing.

If anyone has information about these dumpster fires, please contact Humboldt Bay Fire at (707) 441-4000.

Related post:
https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2018/11/humboldt-bay-fire-just-put-out-fire.html?m=1
(Remember this post from November 12)