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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
NORTH COAST, Calif. — The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office needs the public’s help to locate a missing McKinleyville man.
On Aug. 24, a concerned citizen contacted the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office to report a friend, Jesse Bill Austin, 80, had left a concerning note at their residence.
The note stated Austin had left his silver and gold 2001 GMC van at the airport in McKinleyville.
Deputies responded to the airport and located Austin’s van parked in long term parking. Deputies viewed the airport security video where Austin parked the van and walked towards the terminal. He entered an area which was not recorded and was not seen leaving. At about the same time a silver sedan, possibly Toyota, is seen leaving from the same location.
During the initial investigation, deputies checked with the airlines and rental car companies which had no record of Austin making a purchase. Austin’s cell phone information provided his most recent activity was near Railroad Dr. in McKinleyville. The reporting party also stated that Austin had been a white-water rafting guide.
On Tuesday afternoon, a friend of Austin’s contacted the sheriff’s office to report he had given Austin a ride. The friend stated he picked Austin up from the airport on Aug. 24 and transported him to the Cedar Flat Rest area on Highway 299.
According to the friend, Austin stated he was meeting a family member and was last seen sitting at a picnic table. Austin was in possession of a backpack, possibly gray in color, a blue waterproof bag, a gallon of water and some food.
He is described as a white male, with gray hair and blue eyes, standing 5 feet 9 inches tall, is about 180 pounds and is known to walk with a cane.
Anyone with information on Austin’s whereabouts is asked to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at 707-445-7251 or Investigator Mike Fridley at 707-441-3024.
- Details
- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
At the direction of Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, or Cal OES, on Monday approved the predeployment of five fire engines to Trinity County ahead of expected high temperatures, low humidity and dry lightning.
This is in addition to resources predeployed last week in response to elevated heat and critical fire weather forecast to impact California.
A total of 78 fire engines, 20 water tenders, nine bulldozers, five helicopters, 10 hand crews, 16 dispatchers, and two Incident Management Teams have been approved for predeployment to 12 counties including Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Sierra, Nevada, Plumas, Placer, Calaveras and Trinity counties.
Local fire agencies identify when conditions in their community may require additional resources and submit a request to the state for support.
The staging locations and response assignments are coordinated by local officials.
These efforts ensure that resources are ready to respond quickly, minimizing the potential impact of new fires.
This proactive approach has proven to be a critical component of California’s wildfire response strategy, reducing response times and containing fires before they escalate into major incidents.
The preposition program is in addition to California’s Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System, which remains available for emergency response support throughout the state where resources are needed.
With extreme heat forecast for much of the state, California entered Phase 2 of its extreme temperature response plan on Wednesday — ramping up state and local coordination of resources to prepare for extreme heat.
At the governor’s direction, the State Operations Center at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services is on an enhanced watch for both heat and fire conditions. Cooling centers to protect vulnerable residents are also open in communities across the state.
Residents are urged to stay vigilant during this heightened heat and fire weather period. Californians are reminded to:
• Prepare a wildfire action plan, including planning evacuation routes and packing a go-bag with essentials.
• Sign up for local emergency alerts to stay informed about changing conditions.
• Visit CalHeatScore.CalEPA.ca.gov to find heat safety information specific to your area.
For more information on fire safety and general preparedness, visit Ready.ca.gov.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
At the direction of Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, or Cal OES, on Saturday approved the predeployment of eight additional fire engines and three additional water tenders to Placer and Calaveras counties through Tuesday ahead of expected high temperatures, low humidity, and dry lightning.
This is on top of resources predeployed earlier this week in response to elevated heat and critical fire weather forecast to impact Southern California lasting through Sunday.
A total of 73 fire engines, 20 water tenders, nine bulldozers, five helicopters, 10 hand crews, 16 dispatchers, and two Incident Management Teams, have been approved for predeployment to 12 counties including Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Sierra, Nevada, Plumas, Placer, and Calaveras counties.
Local fire agencies identify when conditions in their community may require additional resources and submit a request to the state for support. The staging locations and response assignments are coordinated by local officials.
These efforts ensure that resources are ready to respond quickly, minimizing the potential impact of new fires.
This proactive approach has proven to be a critical component of California’s wildfire response strategy, reducing response times and containing fires before they escalate into major incidents.
The preposition program is in addition to California’s Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System, which remains available for emergency response support throughout the state where resources are needed.
With extreme heat forecast for much of the state, California entered Phase 2 of its extreme temperature response plan on Wednesday — ramping up state and local coordination of resources to prepare for extreme heat. At the Governor’s direction, the State Operations Center at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services is on an enhanced watch for both heat and fire conditions. Cooling centers to protect vulnerable residents are also open in communities across the state.
Residents are urged to stay vigilant during this heightened heat and fire weather period. Californians are reminded to:
• Prepare a wildfire action plan, including planning evacuation routes and packing a go-bag with essentials.
• Sign up for local emergency alerts to stay informed about changing conditions.
• Visit CalHeatScore.CalEPA.ca.gov to find heat safety information specific to your area.
• For more information on fire safety and general preparedness, visit Ready.ca.gov.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
At the direction of Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, or Cal OES, on Friday approved the predeployment of 13 fire engines, seven water tenders and two dispatchers in Sierra, Nevada and Plumas counties through Tuesday ahead of expected high temperatures, low humidity and dry lightning.
This is on top of resources predeployed earlier this week in response to elevated heat and critical fire weather forecast to impact Southern California lasting through Sunday.
A total of 64 fire engines, 17 water tenders, nine bulldozers, five helicopters, 10 hand crews, 16 dispatchers, and two Incident Management Teams, are predeployed to 10 counties including Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Sierra, Nevada and Plumas counties.
Local fire agencies identify when conditions in their community may require additional resources and submit a request to the state for support. The staging locations and response assignments are coordinated by local officials.
These efforts ensure that resources are ready to respond quickly, minimizing the potential impact of new fires. This proactive approach has proven to be a critical component of California’s wildfire response strategy, reducing response times and containing fires before they escalate into major incidents.
The preposition program is in addition to California’s Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System, which remains available for emergency response support throughout the state where resources are needed.
With extreme heat forecast for much of the state, California entered Phase 2 of its extreme temperature response plan on Wednesday — ramping up state and local coordination of resources to prepare for extreme heat.
At the governor’s direction, the State Operations Center at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services is on an enhanced watch for both heat and fire conditions. Cooling centers to protect vulnerable residents are also open in communities across the state.
“I've directed the state to mobilize resources to communities to help protect against catastrophic wildfire and potentially record-high temperatures. Please continue to check your local forecast and follow the guidance of local authorities,” said Newsom.
Aggressive statewide fire response
Aggressive aerial firefighting operations have helped firefighters with initial attack on several fires in the last few days, including the Pickett Fire in Napa County, the Coyote Fire in El Dorado County and many others across the state.
In the 24-hour period ending on Friday, Cal Fire aircraft have flown more than 175 hours combined, including 19 hours of helicopter night operations.
Cal Fire helicopters have dropped over 380,000 gallons of water and fixed-wing aircraft more than 151,000 gallons of retardant.
Across the state, Cal Fire reported 23 new wildfires in the last 24 hours, bringing the 2025 year-to-date total to 5,673 fires and 374,023 acres burned, slightly above the five-year average for incidents but below typical acreage totals for this time of year.
Cal Fire remains committed to its goal of containing 95% of wildfires at 10 acres or less and encourages the public to do their part too.
Residents are urged to stay vigilant during this heightened heat and fire weather period. Californians are reminded to:
• Prepare a wildfire action plan, including planning evacuation routes and packing a go-bag with essentials.
• Sign up for local emergency alerts to stay informed about changing conditions.
• Visit CalHeatScore.CalEPA.ca.gov to find heat safety information specific to your area.
• For more information on fire safety and general preparedness, visit Ready.ca.gov.