Fire
By Caleb Hutton
An overheating light fixture above a racquetball court likely led to the evacuation of the Bellingham YMCA building Wednesday morning, Jan. 23.
A few dozen people — children, swimmers, staff and others — were asked to leave the building after a report of smoke in a men’s locker room at 11:43 a.m.
“This had been a smell staff had been chasing and couldn’t find for some time,” said Andy Day, the firefighter in charge at the scene. “So they gave us a holler.”
Photo by Colin Diltz
The smell was similar to wood burning, so that made firefighters think it might be more serious. One block of North State Street was closed to traffic while firefighters investigated.
There was no fire, only faint smoke. It appeared the smell had wafted up a floor or two from the racquetball court downstairs, Day said. People were allowed back into the building about 45 minutes after the initial 911 call.
Here’s the Twitter feed from @bhamcrime:
#policescanner: Smoke in the lobby of YMCA on N State Street. Fire engines en route. #Bellingham
— Bellingham Crime (@bhamcrime) January 23, 2013
Smoke’s on the third floor. Main lobby not evacuated yet. Firefighters just ran upstairs. #Bellingham twitter.com/bhamcrime/stat…
— Bellingham Crime (@bhamcrime) January 23, 2013
.@edmunds6677 Everyone left upper floors. People were lingering in main floor lobby. And now being evacuated.
— Bellingham Crime (@bhamcrime) January 23, 2013
YMCA evacuated. Smoke reported in men’s locker room. #bellingham twitter.com/bhamcrime/stat…
— Bellingham Crime (@bhamcrime) January 23, 2013
One block if N State blocked off as firefighters investigate. Building still evacuated. #Bellingham twitter.com/bhamcrime/stat…
— Bellingham Crime (@bhamcrime) January 23, 2013
@bhamcrime People allowed back in YMCA in just a moment.
— Bellingham Crime (@bhamcrime) January 23, 2013
Likely culprit of smoke in #Bellingham YMCA building: Overheating light fixture above racquetball court on first floor, firefighter says.
— Bellingham Crime (@bhamcrime) January 23, 2013
By Samantha Wohlfeil
BELLINGHAM – What initially sounded like an arson at a vacant house on Primrose Lane turned out to be a small fire set and extinguished by two transient people apparently living in the house, according to Bellingham Police.
Reports of visible flames and smoke first came across the police scanner at about 9:47 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 22.
Firefighters responded, but when they tried to enter the house, a transient man tried to block the door, Bellingham Police Sgt. Shawn Aiumu said.
Officers arrived and arrested the man for obstructing law enforcement, Aiumu said.
The small fire was out by the time firefighters entered the house.
Apparently the man and a transient woman were living in the abandoned house. They had brought in a few shopping carts filled with their things, Aiumu said.
The man claimed the woman started the fire, and he put it out, but the woman claimed the man started the fire and she put it out, Aiumu said.
No serious damage was reported.
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By Caleb Hutton
Via scanner traffic:
7:20 a.m. Two-car crash at East Main and Shuksan streets. One driver fled the scene; the other was a 20-year-old woman with arm and chest pain, possibly from an airbag deploying. She declined medical aid. Didn’t hear an update on the other driver.
8 a.m. Troopers were helping to clear mattresses from Interstate 5, near the Meridian Street exit.
8:15 a.m. Report of a fire inside a home at 154 E. Wiser Lake Road. A few minutes later dispatchers updated firefighters responding to the scene: The had been extinguished.
8:30 a.m. Dump truck and semi truck collision at Hannegan Road and Sunset Drive. No request for medical aid. Traffic was slowed but still able to get through.
9:15 a.m. Fire District 14 responding to smoke and flames in home in 6100 block of Poppy Court. We have a call out to the chief, seeking an update.
10:10 a.m. Somebody suffered a knee injury on the trails around Lake Padden, near the dog park. Fifteen minutes later, additional manpower was requested.
10:15 a.m. A group of dogs was blocking the road on Lummi Shore Drive.
11:10 a.m. Hit and run at Rite Aid, 222 Telegraph Road. An unoccupied Jeep Liberty was struck by a blue Chevy Avalanche that was towing a tan trailer, last seen southbound on Meridian Street. Nobody managed to jot down a license plate for the Avalanche.
By Caleb Hutton
Via scanner traffic:
Noon: Man having an allergic reaction, with hives on his body, at Lummi Law & Order, 2616 Kwina Road. Having trouble speaking.
12:35 p.m.: Traumatic injury in 2500 block of Lummi View Drive. No more details over the scanner after aid was called.
12:45 p.m.: Registered nurse found 86-year-old father dead in 2700 block of Nome Street.
1 p.m.: A man suffered a dislocated shoulder during a fight with a fellow tenant in the 500 block of North Garden Street. Sounded like he was trying to defend himself with an ax at one point, then had it taken from him. At least one arrested for felony assault. No details yet on what the fight was about.
1:15 p.m.: Bicyclist appeared to be carrying two guns “tucked under his shirt.” Southbound in 4000 block of Meridian Street. Red bicycle. Cops searched the area for at least the next 20 minutes, couldn’t find anyone matching the description.
1:25 p.m.: Firefighters called to investigate large beach fire near the 2300 block of West Shore Drive, on Lummi Island. Eight feet in diameter.
1:30 p.m.: Didn’t catch the location, but neighbor reported “marijuana wafting from the railroad tracks.”
1:40 p.m.: About 10 teenagers on the railroad tracks near Marine Drive, refusing to get off the tracks for BNSF maintenance workers.
1:45 p.m.: Female student reported a naked man in the girl’s bathroom near the gym at Sehome High School, 2700 Bill McDonald Parkway. “We have the student on the line. Suspect in his 40s, wearing no clothes. He was masturbating at the time.” Described as “dirty blond, overweight.” It’s a Saturday, but there’s a tennis tournament going on at the high school this weekend. When the cops got there they couldn’t find him anywhere around the gym. Sounds like nobody saw him leaving. Police were checking Bill McDonald and Samish Way at 2 p.m.
By Caleb Hutton
Via scanner traffic:
About 7:30 a.m., police responded to a report of domestic violence where a man threw a knife at another man. The suspect then ran to the nearby Shell Station at 3970 Meridian St. He was apparently mad because he thought the assault victim and a woman had stolen money from him. Police were canvassing the area looking for him, but I don’t see him listed in the jail roster yet. Didn’t sound like the victim was badly hurt. We’ll try to get a full story on this later.
Update 2:11 p.m. Thursday: Turns out this was a “he said, she said” situation, said Bellingham police spokesman Mark Young. No arrests were made.
8 a.m.-ish, firefighters responded to a fire alarm in the roaster room of the Golden Nut Company, 1555 Odell St., in Blaine. Sounded like it didn’t turn into anything major.
About 9:30 a.m., a witness reported a semi truck hit a power pole at the intersection of Alabama and Woburn streets, then drove away. The driver’s Mount Baker Highway-based trucking company is now (9:32 a.m.) trying to get a hold of the driver, hoping to get him to return to the scene.
About the same time a man in his 40s was spotted wandering down Birchwood Avenue in a hospital gown. Didn’t hear a followup explaining the situation.
And in non-scanner notes, nothing suspicious in the death investigation listed yesterday on the Bellingham Police log, police spokesman Mark Young said this morning. Here’s the case number:
Reported: May 8 2012 1:48PM
Location: 4800 BLK GUIDE MERIDIAN RD
Offense: DEATH INVESTIGATION
Case #: 12B16173Ofcs responded to the above location on an unattended death investigation.
Checked with Harborview again this morning about Carter Norsby, the 7-year-old boy who survived a deadly crash last week on East Pole Road, near Everson. He’s still in serious condition in the Intensive Care Unit, a hospital spokeswoman said. Here’s the last update we wrote about Carter’s condition on Saturday.
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