Whatcom County’s cold temperatures may be to blame in fatal trailer fire
A 54-year-old Whatcom County woman died when the recreational trailer she was living in was destroyed by fire Wednesday along the Mount Baker Highway near North Fork Brewery.
“It’s really unfortunate,” Whatcom County Fire District 14 Chief Jerry Debruin told The Bellingham Herald. “Those things go so fast. By the time they get burning and we get there, there’s not a whole lot we can do.”
The woman’s death was caused by the fire and has been classified as accidental, Whatcom County Medical Examiner Dr. Gary Goldfogel told The Herald, but her name is being withheld while the family is notified.
District 14 crews responded to the report of an RV fire in the 6100 block of Mount Baker Highway shortly before 10 a.m. Jan. 15, Debruin said, after a woman living nearby heard popping and saw the trailer fully engulfed in flames.
“We got there as quickly as we could,” Debruin said. “The roads were icy, but we were chained up and ready to go, but there wasn’t much we could do.”
Debruin said crews managed to quickly knock down flames despite some wind at the time, keeping the fire from spreading to other RVs and trees nearby.
Determining the fire’s exact cause will be difficult due to the extent of the damage, Debruin said, but with Wednesday’s cold temperatures and no electricity to the trailer, a portable propane-powered heater found in the RV “possibly” could be the culprit.
Debruin said fires caused by portable heaters increase during cold snaps, such as what Whatcom County has seen this week. He advised being “extra diligent” to keep space around those heaters clear.
“It’s the time of year when people are trying to stay warm and running more auxiliary-type heaters and extra heaters,” Debruin said. “You have to be so careful. Know what you’re running and keep things away from it. Those types of heaters in a confined space run fine, but they also can be dangerous.”
This story was originally published January 16, 2020 at 9:33 AM.
