Fire destroys much of north Bellingham home

CALEB HUTTON - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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BELLINGHAM - A house near Bellis Fair mall was nearly destroyed by fire Wednesday morning, Sept. 21, after flames spread from the porch to an attic and caused extreme heat damage to about three-fourths of the building.

About 5:30 a.m., firefighters were called to a house in the 3800 block of Pana Vista Drive, west of the mall. Firefighters were able to contain the blaze, but not before it caused significant damage, said Bellingham Fire Marshal Jason Napier.

"I think it's fundamentally toast," he said, adding that it would take a lot of work from an architect to restore the home.

The man who lived there was seen in another part of town about a half hour later, Napier said. The man was not interviewed until later that morning and was unable to give a clear timeline of how the fire might have started. He was the only person living at the house.

There's a "high chance" a cigarette sparked the fire, Napier said, but the cause is undetermined and under investigation. The house was valued at $75,570.

Reach CALEB HUTTON at caleb.hutton@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2276.

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POSTED: Wednesday, Sep. 21, 2011

UPDATED: Wednesday, Sep. 21, 2011

Fire destroys much of north Bellingham home

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Reach CALEB HUTTON at caleb.hutton@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2276.

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