Covelo hit by earthquake, wildfire, and fatal shooting within one week
The name of the homicide victim has not been released
A wildfire, a fatal shooting and a magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck the Covelo area within five days this week, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
The earthquake was the most recent. A series of quakes struck north of Covelo on Friday, July 10, culminating in a magnitude 4.4 at 6:14 p.m., the USGS said. The agency initially reported the magnitude as 4.2 before revising it upward. The quake was centered about 7 miles north of Covelo at a depth of about 6 miles and was felt in Fort Bragg, Willits and Ukiah.
The quake occurred on the Bartlett Springs fault, one of the least-studied fault systems in Northern California, retired Humboldt State University geologist Lori Dengler told the Redheaded Blackbelt. The fault runs near the Potter Valley dams that Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is working to remove. Dengler said the magnitude 4.4 was not strong enough to cause damage and would most likely subside, but that a larger quake could not be ruled out.
The Agency Fire broke out Tuesday, July 7, in vegetation near Agency and Mina roads outside Covelo. The Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation orders as crews reported multiple structures threatened, and Cal Fire sent air tankers and helicopters, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Ground crews initially estimated the fire at up to 15 acres; after aircraft arrived, air attack put it at less than an acre. Firefighters stopped its forward progress by early evening.
On Thursday, July 9, a woman was found shot to death in a vehicle off Rifle Range Road, northwest of Covelo. Family members found her about 9 p.m. in the 22500 block with apparent gunshot wounds, according to Redheaded Blackbelt. The Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death as a homicide, with assistance from the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office and criminalists from the California Department of Justice, Capt. Quincy Cromer said. The victim was identified only as an adult woman from Covelo. Her name has not been released, and no arrests have been reported.