Tag: barn fire
Written by Caleb Hutton | The Bellingham Herald | December 27, 2012
By Caleb Hutton
Two fires in north Whatcom County were ruled accidents this week by the fire marshal.
The info comes from Fire Marshal Will Anderson.
- Fire No. 1. A 50-by-100-foot barn at 9451 Swanson Road was destroyed Dec. 16, when a homeowner intentionally left an oil heater on overnight for his John Deere tractor. An electrical problem sparked the blaze. It was the first time he’d used the heater this year. The structure was mostly a roof, with concrete siding to support it. Damage was estimated at $100,000.
- Fire No. 2. A 20-by-30-foot home on Henley Street in Birch Bay was ruled “undetermined,” but an accident. The resident, a man in his 50s, was awakened by the smoke at 5:55 a.m. Dec. 17, and suffered burns to his feet as he escaped. The home — a vacation-style house built in the mid-20th century — burnt down to almost nothing. The most likely cause of the fire was a baseboard heater that was too close to a pile of the resident’s belongings. But Anderson said because no crime is suspected, he’d leave it up to the insurance company to investigate further. The day after the fire, some smoke was reported coming from the charred remains. It turned out to be minor and was quickly extinguished.
- Fire No. 3. See this story that will be in tomorrow’s paper. The lede: “A buildup of peanut dust and debris is suspected of causing a small fire in the Golden Nut Company’s roasting room earlier this week, the Whatcom County fire marshal said Thursday, Dec. 27.” Here’s the story that was in today’s paper.
Written by Caleb Hutton | The Bellingham Herald | September 18, 2012
By Caleb Hutton
DEMING — A large barn took some serious damage from what appeared to be an accidental fire near Deming on Monday evening, Sept. 17.
Firefighters arrived at Macaulay Road about 7 p.m. to find the 60-by-40 foot barn, with 12-foot additions on each side, engulfed in flames, said Whatcom Fire District 1 Chief Mel Blankers. The roof was already burning through.
The flames were knocked down within minutes. The fire smoldered, however, and it took much longer to clear the scene. Tenders full of thousands of gallons of water were brought in from neighboring fire districts.
Taking a “rough, wild” guess, the fire chief estimated the 50-year-old barn was worth maybe $75,000, including the hay inside its two wings.
The property was probably used as a dairy in the past. But nowadays, Blankers said, “I don’t even think they milk the cows.”
The exact cause of the fire is under investigation by the county fire marshal. Unofficially, Blankers said it appeared to be an accident. The owners of the property were at the scene when the fire started, Blankers said — but couldn’t elaborate because he had to jump to a report of a semi crash. (And I’m going to post about that right after this.)
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