Eureka Orders Lamplighter Inn on Broadway Closed Indefinitely After Two Deaths

Eureka city officials ordered the Lamplighter Inn on Broadway closed indefinitely on March 3, 2026, after two deaths were discovered at the motel and Humboldt Bay Fire and city personnel earlier shuttered the property “due to safety concerns” following the second death on Feb. 26. The closure is open-ended while officials say an investigation remains underway.

Eureka police responded to two separate calls at the Lamplighter Inn on the afternoons of Feb. 21 and Feb. 26 that were characterized as suspected overdoses. In each response, responding officers located two victims: one determined to be deceased at the scene and one transported to the hospital for treatment, city and emergency personnel confirmed.

EPD spokesperson Rachel Sollom said investigators are not treating the incidents as criminal. “There is no foul play suspected,” Sollom said, and she added, “There is currently no danger to the public.” Sollom also said there “was no evidence at the scene indicating an overdose” at either incident, even though the 911 calls were for suspected overdoses.

Sollom addressed information limits around the cases, stating, “The reasons [for the deaths] are not unknown, they are not releasable and are not criminal in nature.” Sollom confirmed the two deaths but would not comment on the condition or whereabouts of the people who were hospitalized, nor would she confirm whether the deaths occurred in the same motel rooms or whether the victims were local or from out of the area.

City personnel coordinated with Humboldt Bay Fire after the Feb. 26 discovery to secure the property, and the city’s March 3 order formalized an indefinite closure pending further review. EPD has not launched a criminal investigation into the matter as of the city’s closure order, and city officials have not provided a timeline for when the property might reopen.

Attempts to reach Lamplighter Inn management by phone were unsuccessful; “Calls to the Lamplighter Inn this afternoon did not go through.” Officials have also not released causes of death or any coroner findings to date. With the motel shuttered and public-safety concerns cited by Humboldt Bay Fire and city personnel, the closure places immediate responsibility on municipal agencies to document the legal basis and required steps for any remediation before the property can reopen.