Pipeline memories

Pipeline memories: Firefighter recalls how fire quickly went from bad to worse

Fred Wefer is assistant chief of the South Whatcom Fire District. He worked with the Whatcom County Hazardous Materials Unit on June 10, 1999, when a pipeline ruptured and exploded in Bellingham's Whatcom Falls Park.

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Archive by category ''Pipeline memories

PIPELINE MEMORIES

Pipeline memories: Family friend remembers Liam Wood's passion for fishing

Liam Wood first came to our house in early spring of 1994. For weeks our son, Evan, had talked about a boy in his class who tied flies and liked to fish. Evan was in eighth grade at Fairhaven Middle School. We lived near Lake Padden, swam and fished there during the summer, walked and explored...
PIPELINE MEMORIES

Pipeline memories: City Councilman filled in for mayor when pipeline blew

When a gas pipelied ruptured and expoloded on June 10, 1999, Pat Rowe was a Bellingham City Council member and mayor pro-tem. Rowe is co-owner with his son, James, of One Stop Movie Rental Kiosks.
PIPELINE MEMORIES

Pipeline memories: In wake of explosion, crews worked hard to save Bellingham's water supply

One of the less well known stories of how greater disaster was averted during the initial hours after the explosion concerns how two savvy managers averted a major water outage for a lot of the city.
PIPELINE MEMORIES

Pipeline memories: 'A memory not easily forgotten'

I was a fairly new resident of the Columbia area of Bellingham in 1999, expecting guests from my home state of California on a lovely warm day in June.
PIPELINE MEMORIES

Pipeline memories: Boys were unsuspecting heroes

Douglas Allan MacLean wrote this poem soon after the June 10, 1999 pipeline explosion in Bellingham.
PIPELINE MEMORIES

Pipeline memories: Explosion inspired artist who saw 'malevolent fire-breathing monster'

Bellingham artist Michael Kominsky painted "Fragile Status Quo" after seeing the pipeline explosion June, 10, 1999.
PIPELINE MEMORIES

Pipeline memories: Screaming baby ended run through park

I was a new mother to my only child, who was all of 2 1/2 months old. I am also an avid runner and on that day I was so excited to finally take my jogger stroller on its first ride with my son.
PIPELINE MEMORIES

Pipeline memories: Photographer familiar with three pipeline victims

On June 10, 1999, Ryan Larrabee was 19 and had just returned to Bellingham via train from Virginia. He was driving his brother to get a haircut when the ruptured fuel pipeline in Whatcom Falls Park ignited, sending a giant black cloud soaring into the sky.
PIPELINE MEMORIES

Pipeline memories: 'Nervous confusion and fearful speculation'

I was living in Bellingham above Barkley Village in the Tanglewood Lane cul-de-sac. Even though our house was approximately two miles from the explosion, it seemed like it was right across the street.
PIPELINE MEMORIES

Pipeline memories: 'It was pretty scary!'

It was 5 p.m. - time for me to punch out at Grizzly Industrial on Valencia Street (where I still work). We had really just begun to smell gas, but had no idea where the source of the spill was, or how large it was.