By Thadeus Greenson
The Times-Standard
WHITETHORN, Calif. — A persistent Dumpster fire in Whitethorn had officials concerned Thursday afternoon that they may have an environmental health issue on their hands.
“There is a HazMat situation,” said Cal Fire spokeswoman Cricket Baird, adding that her agency is only assisting in the response.
Details remained sparse as of the Times-Standard’s deadline Thursday, as most officials remained on scene in an area of Southern Humboldt without cell phone reception. It appears that the fire is potentially being fueled by hazardous materials, but officials won’t know for sure until they can investigate, which isn’t possible until the fire is fully extinguished.
As of late Thursday afternoon, the fire was still smoldering, according to officials, causing Cal Fire to close a large section of Briceland Thorn Road and requiring one Southern Humboldt school to cancel one of its bus routes.
According to a California Emergency Management Agency hazardous materials spill report, a fire was reported at about 8 p.m. Wednesday in a 40-yard Dumpster at the Whitethorn transfer station on the 14700 block of Briceland Road. Volunteer fire crews in the area responded to the fire Wednesday night and extinguished it but were called back a short time later when the fire reignited.
Briceland Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tim Olsen said crews dumped about 2,000 gallons of water on the fire Wednesday night and thought they had it extinguished but got a call Thursday morning indicating it was still smoking.
When crews returned to the scene, Olsen said, there was some worry as to the contents of the Dumpster and whether it contained hazardous materials.
“At that point, the command center, along with many others, thought it would be best not to put any more water on it until we could get folks out there to see,” Olsen said, adding that the fire was putting off a heavy smoke that “laid down around the area a little bit” and caused crews to close the road and ask residents to keep their windows closed in case the smoke was in any way toxic.
The hazardous spill report indicates that officials have received reports from citizens in the area complaining of headaches from the smoke.
Olsen said he left the scene at about noon, leaving the Whitethorn Volunteer Fire Department and other officials on scene, and the fire was still going.
Supervising environmental health specialist Larry Lancaster of the environmental health division of the Department of Health and Human Services said officials can’t assess the cause of the fire or the presence of potentially hazardous materials until the fire is extinguished, and the fire was reportedly still smoldering as of late Thursday afternoon.
Lancaster said a HazMat captain was on scene Thursday afternoon to give an “eyes-on” evaluation.
“When and if there’s determined to be hazards present, we’ll take an oversight role,” Lancaster said.
Humboldt Bay Fire Capt. II Kent Hulbert said Thursday afternoon that he’d received a call from environmental health regarding the fire, but his department’s HazMat team had not yet been called into action.
“The fire has taken precedence, and it’s probably going to burn until they find a method of putting it out or it puts itself out. At that point, they would make an assessment and see if they need the HazMat team to come and identify what the things (on fire) are,” Hulbert said. “Right now, there’s nothing the HazMat team can do.”
No waterways had been impacted by the blaze as of Thursday afternoon, according to the spill report.
According to the Southern Humboldt Union School District, Cal Fire has closed a portion of Briceland Thorn Road due to smoke from the fire, and the district consequently had to cancel one of its bus service routes from Whitethorn School. According to the district, Cal Fire directed motorists to an alternate route, but it is unsafe for buses. Consequently, the district asked parents to pick up their students at Whitethorn School, a move affecting about 60 students.
Lancaster suggested residents bothered by the smoke remain indoors and wait for local authorities to give the “all-clear” signal.
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