Category Archives: Emergencies

Body Of 63-year-old Man Recovered From Capsized Boat Near Battery Point Lighthouse

Thumbnail photo: A U.S. Coast Guard vessel and the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office’s patrol boat responded to a capsized boat near Battery Point Lighthouse on Wednesday. | Photo by Heather Polen

The Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a 63-year-old man whose body was recovered from the water near Battery Point Lighthouse early Wednesday afternoon.

A U.S. Coast Guard 47-foot motor lifeboat from the Chetco River recovered the body of James Eric Englehart after the sheriff’s office received a report of a vessel spinning in the water with no one on board near the lighthouse.

The call came in at about 11:20 a.m., according to Undersheriff Devin Perry. By the time the sheriff’s office deployed its boat about 15 minutes later they found that Englehart’s 12-foot aluminum vessel had capsized, but was still floating.

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Search Is Underway For Pregnant Woman Who Entered Ocean Near 5th Street On Sunday

Thumbnail photo: Crescent City Police are spearheading the search of a pregnant woman who was last seen entering the ocean near the 5th Street stairs and not seen leaving the water on Sunday evening. | Photo by Heather Polen

An active search is underway for a possibly pregnant woman who was last seen in the water near the foot of 5th Street in Crescent City at about 7 p.m. Sunday.

Reports from bystanders who were about 100 yards away, the woman walked down the stairs barefoot and entered the water at about 3:30 p.m., according to Crescent City Police Chief Richard Griffin. She was last seen in the water at about 7 p.m. 

The reporting party called Del Norte County Dispatch to report that the woman had not been seen exiting the water as of about 8:40 p.m. Sunday, Griffin said. CCPD was still spearheading an active search for the woman as of about 11:12 a.m. Monday, though they had not received a missing persons report for anyone.

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Del Norte Man Still Recovering At Hospital Following Explosion; Sheriff Says No Further Explosive Devices Have Been Found, Though Investigation Continues

Thumbnail photo courtesy of GoFundMe

Five days after a “bomb-like device” exploded in his hand, Jason Turner is still being treated for his injuries at U.C. Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.

“Jason is doing well,” his girlfriend, Pamala Ganfield, told Redwood Voice Community News on Friday. “He had another surgery the day before yesterday (that) took about an inch more of his forearm.”


Ganfield and Turner were picking up spent fireworks at Point St. George at about 3 p.m. Sunday when he found what appeared to be a ball-shaped object with a nail sticking out of it. The item exploded when Turner picked it up. It sounded like a bomb, Ganfield said. Her boyfriend was on the ground bleeding.

Continue reading Del Norte Man Still Recovering At Hospital Following Explosion; Sheriff Says No Further Explosive Devices Have Been Found, Though Investigation Continues

Del Norte County man’s hand is amputated after explosion at Point St. George; girlfriend says they found shiny ball-shaped object in the sand

Thumbnail photo: Jason Turner is at U.C. Davis Medical Center in Sacramento where he is being treated for injuries sustained after an object exploded in his hand at Point St. George on Sunday. | Photo courtesy of Pamala Ganfield

A Del Norte County man is at a Sacramento hospital after a fireworks explosion on the beach at Point St. George led to the amputation of his left hand. 

Jason Turner was walking the beach with his girlfriend, Pamala Ganfield, on Sunday, putting a few spent fireworks into a pile when they saw a shiny object in the sand. Ganfield said it looked like a bouncy ball with an opening at the end and a nail sticking out of it.

“He went to pick it up — I told him no — and boom, that was it,” Ganfield told Redwood Voice Community News on Tuesday. “I couldn’t see. I couldn’t hear. It sounded like a bomb. I looked over and my boyfriend was on the ground bleeding and his hand was opened up like a banana.”

Continue reading Del Norte County man’s hand is amputated after explosion at Point St. George; girlfriend says they found shiny ball-shaped object in the sand

Firework Explosion Seriously Injures Beach-goer at Point St. George Day After ‘Mild’ Holiday

Though the Del Norte County sheriff called the holiday pretty mild compared to previous Independence Days, his deputies are investigating an explosion that sent one man to the hospital the day after.

The explosion occurred at Point St. George at about 3:50 p.m. Sunday, Del Norte County Undersheriff Devin Perry told Redwood Voice Community News. A couple visiting the beach had been walking along the sand picking up a few spent fireworks and found what appeared to be a silver ball with a screw sticking out of it.

“The female said as soon as the male picked it up it exploded,” Perry said. “There were significant injuries to his hand. He was taken to Sutter and then they (flew) him out to a higher level of care.”

Continue reading Firework Explosion Seriously Injures Beach-goer at Point St. George Day After ‘Mild’ Holiday

Rock Slide Closes South Fork Road, Blocks Big Flat, Boulder Creek Resident From 199

Thumbnail photo courtesy of Joe Gillespie

Above map courtesy of the Del Norte County Roads Division.

South Fork Road is closed until further notice due to a rockslide between the Rock Creek and Boulder Creek areas that occurred early Friday morning.

Joe Gillespie, who has lived in the Rock Creek subdivision for about 36 years, said the slide occurred at about 5 a.m. It’s less than half a mile upstream from his home and while his access to U.S. 199 is still open, he said Boulder Creek and Big Flat residents will need to take French Hill Road to get to the highway.

“That’s like an hour and a half detour,” Gillespie said of the county maintained road that drops down into Gasquet. “They do a pretty good job of keeping it open in case of situations like these.”

Continue reading Rock Slide Closes South Fork Road, Blocks Big Flat, Boulder Creek Resident From 199

Del Norte Supervisors Take Issue Tolowa Dunes SP Closure; Praise Tax Relief Bill Named For LaMalfa

Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

District 1 Supervisor Darrin Short was absent. Among the items discussed at Tuesday’s Del Norte County Board of Supervisors meeting.

Tolowa Dunes SP Closure: Three county supervisors said they fielded calls and complaints regarding the temporary closure of parts of Tolowa Dunes State Park over the weekend.

The California State Parks North Coast Redwoods District authorized the closure of several access points and trails to allow the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation to observe the Lhuk Rite Ceremony. The annual ceremony celebrates the importance of salmon and its annual return to its river habitat.

Continue reading Del Norte Supervisors Take Issue Tolowa Dunes SP Closure; Praise Tax Relief Bill Named For LaMalfa

City Council Approves Moving Incentive For New Fire Chief, Increased Stipends For Volunteer Firefighters

Thumbnail photo courtesy of Crescent City Fire & Rescue

Though two members of the public, including a Del Norte County Supervisor candidate, criticized the additional expense, Crescent City councilors authorized a moving incentive of up to $10,000 to recruit a new fire chief.

That incentive will be split between Crescent City and the Crescent Fire Protection District, Human Resources Manager Sara Barbour told councilors Monday. It will be paid to the new recruit as a reimbursement for their moving costs, she said. The cost to each agency will be about $5,000 maximum, Barbour said.

In response to county resident Sam Strait and District 4 Supervisor candidate Margaret Sargent, who asked why the community should pay for the new fire chief’s move, Mayor Pro Tem Candace Tinkler said such assistance is standard practice for her previous employer, the federal government.

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Earthquake/Tsunami Drill Set For Tomorrow

Thumbnail map courtesy of the Redwood Coast Tsunami Working Group. To find maps for Fort Dick, Smith River and Klamath, click here.

Del Norters who have opted into the county’s emergency alert system will get a notification between 11 a.m. and noon Wednesday.

Coinciding with Tsunami Preparedness Week, the earthquake and tsunami drill will only involve the county’s Everbridge system, Emergency Services Manager Deborah Otenburg told county supervisors on Tuesday.

“Oftentimes we have community members say we didn’t receive the alert, you do have to be registered to receive that alert,” Otenburg said. “And there will not be sirens. This is not a live-code activation. This is not a National Weather Service putting this out. It’s just us.”

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Del Norte Teams Up With CalOES, Crescent City On Tsunami Education Kiosks For Visitors

Tsunami information kiosks like this one will be at seven locations popular with visitors throughout Del Norte. | Image courtesy of Del Norte County Office of Emergency Services

Thumbnail photo: H Dock damage at the Crescent City Harbor from the July 30, 2025 Kamchatka tsunami. The harbor will host one of seven tsunami information kiosks throughout Del Norte. | Photo courtesy of Mike Rademaker

Del Norte County is stepping up its tsunami preparedness efforts, focusing on visitors who may not be aware that they’re in a hazardous location or how to evacuate.

Seven kiosks will be installed in areas popular with visitors. They will highlight the natural warning signs that a tsunami is imminent, the immediate actions to take as well as a simplified evacuation map leading folks to a safer spot, Emergency Services Coordinator Jessica Seaman said Tuesday.

“Each evacuation map will be site specific and developed with assistance from the subject matter experts to ensure accuracy and clarity for the exact location,” she told the Board of Supervisors. “The kiosks will also include a QR code that links directly to Know Your Zone and Prepare Del Norte (which has) additional preparedness information.”

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