Whatcom house fire could have been much worse if neighbor hadn’t heard smoke detector

Fire investigators are still determining what started a fire in a utility room that caused an estimated $10,000 in damage to a Deming home Sunday afternoon.

Whatcom County Fire District 1 received a report of the structure fire at 4838 Deming Road Sunday afternoon after a neighbor reported hearing a smoke alarm and seeing smoke from vents on the roof of the house, District 1 Chief Mel Blankers said.

The residents were not home at the time of the call.

When fire crews arrived, Blankers said, they found the fire still limited to the utility room, which contained a washer, dryer, furnace and hot water heater.

Firefighters were able to prevent flames from spreading, though there was smoke damage throughout the house and some insulation in the attic and crawlspace was charred.

“We were there a bit longer than we thought,” Blankers said. “We kept thinking we had it and thinking we had it, but then the investigation found there was insulation above and below that room smoldering a bit, so we had to pull that out.”

Three to four people lived in the house, Blankers said, but they said they did not need assistance in finding a place to say while smoke damage is cleaned up.

Flooring in the room will have to be repaired and the appliances replaced, he said.

This story was originally published September 17, 2018 at 10:03 AM.