The 2026 Arcata Fire

View of the city of Arcata during the fire. (Photo by Tori McConnell)

By Tori McConnell

It’s an unusually windy day. I breathe in the light scent of smoke as I stand up from my work desk and gaze outside at the golden mid-afternoon light. Wait – the light scent of smoke? That’s not normal. Maybe someone is doing a pile burn nearby? I linger at the window a second longer. The golden light seems a little too golden. Oh, well. It’s probably nothing. I walk down my hallway to make some tea and check on the giant calendar I made for 2026. The smoke smell grows stronger. I saunter over to my kitchen table where I check my phone and see a text message from my mom.

“There’s a fire in Arcata,” her text read, sent with an attachment from a local news Facebook page. Well, that explains the smoke. I told her that I can smell it. I go outside to survey the city from my shared deck and quickly put the pieces together because there, just past my neighbor’s trees, rises the thickest plume of black smoke I’ve ever seen in my life. Perfect, I think to myself. Just what everyone hopes for a voraciously windy day: a massive structure fire in the heart of the city. Community updates and news reports come rushing in through the iPhone in my hand and I impulsively decide to go Live. I make quiet commentary about the toxic billowing column, hoping to break the silence for my Facebook friends as they join my livestream. The huge plume catches a gust of wind, rushes towards me and hits me in my face.

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On January 6, 2026 at approximately 2:30pm, Arcata rang in the New Year with a fire of still unknown causes on the 800 block of the city. It felt like a dark way to start the year, but there we were, lit up by flames torching above some of downtown’s central rooftops. After seeing the conflagration with my own eyes and breathing (too much of) the smoke with my own lungs I went back inside my house, my throat already feeling the effects of burnt up industrial chemicals flung airborne. After escaping to the salty bay air of Eureka, hours later I read about the damages. Almost an entire block of Arcata was leveled by the fire – apartment units and small businesses, gone. One of the businesses impacted was Northtown Books, a faithful distributor of Native News from California and other HeyDay publications. The quintessential Humboldt County bookstore was completely destroyed, and everything was lost. Altogether, the total losses caused by the fire were estimated at $18 million.

Community members took to Facebook to raise awareness of the damages and reflect on the significance of the loss in our community. Below is a list of websites and resources for community members to donate to and support the individuals and businesses who lost their homes and storefronts to the devastation.

Northtown Books – https://giveahand.com/fundraiser/northtown-books-fire

Arcata 800 Block Fire Benefit Weekend

Jenna and Sarah – https://www.gofundme.com/…/helping-jenna-and-sarah…

Emilee and Brandon – https://www.gofundme.com/f/rebuilding-after-the-arcata-fire

Kevin – https://www.gofundme.com/…/help-kevin-rebuild-after-the…

Mot (Myatma) – https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-mot-during-fire-recovery

Sam – https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-sam-get-back-on-his-f

Semi and Jack (Vanilla Sky clothing store) – https://gofund.me/462c76c6c

Dandar’s Games and Books – https://giveahand.com/fundraiser/dandars-games-and-books

Global Village Gallery – https://www.gofundme.com/…/support-donald-and-mary…

Cal Poly Humboldt Native American Studies Professors Recognized as Exemplary Leaders

10th St Art Studio – https://www.gofundme.com/…/support-arcata-artists…/cl/s

Arcata Chamber of Commerce Fire Benefit Resources Page

One thing about Humboldt County is that you’ll always find people who care.

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Escaping the smoke, I cruise down the 101 and look across the bay. The route I’ve taken a million times feels different today. On a normal day I fixate on the water as I drive carefully along the shore, assessing the tide to note if it’s high or low. But today my focus is set on the lower horizon across from me as I keep one eye on the road and one on Arcata in the distance. The smoke from the fire is still visible even from across the expanse of water. In a way it confirms to me what I already know. This is a major disaster.

I drive across the bridge and pass by Target. Checking my rearview I see something unexpected. I can no longer see across the bay where smoke is still rising, but I see the hills behind me in the distance. And there, suspended ethereally in the sky, is a rainbow.