Arcata, CA - On October 22, 2023, at 1:30 P.M. firefighters from the Arcata Fire Protection District responded to a report of smoke coming out of the windows of a maintenance room of the Redwood Sciences Laboratory on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus on the 1700 Block of Bayview Ct.

Firefighters arrived on scene within minutes to find the building full of smoke. Upon further investigation, the source of smoke was found to be a small fire on the exterior wall. The fire had been reported and controlled by an occupant, but the smoke entered the building through the exterior wall and had risen to the second floor where a smoke detector sounded.

Two engines from Arcata Fire District, a chief officer and University Police were on scene for thirty minutes for smoke removal, overhaul and investigation.

The cause of the fire appeared to be a newspaper that had been intentionally set ablaze near a pile of debris, and the cause continues to be under investigation by the Arcata Police.