Malfunctioning lithium ion battery or charger causes $2,000 worth of damage at Clark street warehouse

On 03/02/2024 @ approximately 1205hrs, Humboldt Bay Fire responded to a fire alarm at the 600 block of West Clark Street in Eureka. HBF’s truck arrived to find a single story warehouse and office building with an audible fire alarm sounding. The truck crew made entry into the structure finding a moderate amount of smoke and requested a full structure fire response. 

HBF responded with 3 additional Engines and 1 Chief officer for a total of 13 fire personnel at scene.  Crews opened up the building and found a small incipient fire located in the maintenance shop of the building. Crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire, clear the building of any occupants and ventilate the smoke out of the building. The shop area sustained moderate smoke and heat damage.  There were no Firefighter or civilian injuries. The fire was able to be located and extinguished quickly due to activation of the fire alarm system and actions by the first arriving Truck Crew. Damage is estimated at approximately $2000. After investigation, the fire was determined to likely be caused from a malfunctioning lithium ion battery and/or charger.  

Humboldt Bay Fire reminds all occupants to be sure your fire alarm systems and smoke alarms are in working order. Early detection of a fire can make all the difference. Humboldt Bay Fire would like to thank Samoa-Peninsula Fire District for providing coverage of Humboldt Bay Fire’s jurisdiction during this incident.