Photos by John Ferrara.

Torched army fatigues and bits of charred sleeping bag still lay outside Eureka’s State Employment Office at the corner of 4th and K Streets after a sleeping homeless man caught fire there last night.

This fire suspiciously comes one week after a sleeping homeless man was intentionally set on fire by an unknown suspect on the steps of Arcata’s First Presbyterian Church.

The scene of last week’s church fire.

However, Eureka’s Interim Police Chief Steve Watson told the Outpost this morning that the cause of last night’s fire is still being investigated, and that people should avoid rushing to conclusions before more information is available.

“It is still under active instigation with a detective assigned to follow up, and it is unconfirmed at this time if it was accidental or intentionally set,” Watson said. “We urge people not to jump to conclusions until we have more information.”

The condition of the victim of last night’s fire is not officially known at this time. However, in an interview with Kym Kemp, Eureka City Councilmember Kim Bergel said the man seemed “okay” while she was on scene.

We will update when more information is available.