It may be warm out, but electrical heater believed to have caused Chuckanut home fire
We may be seeing some of the warmest days of the year so far, but an electrical heater is believed to be the cause of a residential fire that occurred along Chuckanut Drive overlooking Chuckanut Bay Sunday morning.
Bellingham Fire Department and South Whatcom Fire Authority crews were called to the 1000 block of Chuckanut Drive at 6:52 a.m. July 26 for the report of a structure fire.
Bellingham crews were first on scene and found an active fire, South Whatcom Assistant Chief Mitch Nolze told The Bellingham Herald Monday.
Crews were able to contain the fire to one room, Nolze said, but there was exterior damage and smoke damage inside throughout.
Whatcom County Fire Inspector Will Anderson estimated $25,000 damage was done.
Fortunately, the renters that live in the home were out of the area at the time of the fire, Nolze said, so there were no injuries.
Anderson said the likely cause of the fire was an electrical wall heater, and even though they not be utilized much this time of year, “they continually have power to them and can sometimes have problems.”
Whatcom fire ban
The recent dry, warmer temperatures prompted the Whatcom County Fire Marshal’s Office to enact a ban on open burning in unincorporated parts of Whatcom County beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, July 27.
All land clearing and yard debris burning must be discontinued, according to the release shared on Facebook by the South Whatcom Fire Authority.
Recreational fires are still allowed with the landowner’s permission under the following requirements:
▪ Must be burning seasoned firewood or charcoal.
▪ Must be in an enclosure not larger than three feet in diameter and a minimum 16 inches high made of cement blocks, stones or steel.
▪ Beach fires must be dug eight inches deep and be surrounded by an enclosure of rocks four inches high.
▪ Must be 25 feet from structures, timber and combustible materials.
▪ A charged garden hose or buckets of water and a shovel or rake must be kept next to the fire.
▪ Must be attended at all times until they are out cold.
▪ No burning in winds higher than 7 mph.
Violators could be fined $250 and may be held financially responsible and criminally charged if their fire escapes or needs to be extinguished by the fire department.
This story was originally published July 27, 2020 at 12:14 PM.
