17 months after fire destroyed iconic downtown Bellingham businesses, investigation closes
After nearly 17 months, the investigation into the fire that destroyed Clark Feed & Seed and Avalon Records last year has closed, but the cause remains undetermined. Also undetermined is what will become of the property once occupied by the landmark downtown businesses and neighboring Hohl Feed & Seed, which was destroyed by fire six months earlier.
Bellingham fire and police investigators have determined that the Clark fire originated on the mezzanine level of the store, Police Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email last week, but what exactly ignited the devastating blaze could not be determined.
“The investigation is closed pending someone coming forward with further information regarding the cause,” Murphy wrote.
The Bellingham Fire Department battled a three-alarm fire throughout the night July 17, 2019, at Clark Feed & Seed on Railroad Avenue in downtown Bellingham. The fire also spread next door to Avalon Records.
One firefighter was taken to St. Joseph’s hospital due to exhaustion and for observation but there were no other injuries.
Efforts to save Avalon Records, a fixture in Bellingham for more than 30 years, were unsuccessful, as fire spread from Clark to Avalon and both businesses were destroyed.
Nearly six months to the day earlier, Hohl Feed & Seed, which stood adjacent to Clark, was destroyed by fire Feb. 18, 2019. The Hohl fire was determined to have been started by a transient who was attempting to get warm by starting a fire in the alley behind the store on a cold winter night.
With the Avalon, Clark and Hohl buildings destroyed, much of the 1300 block of Railroad Avenue has remained vacant.
Another landmark business, Vienna Cleaners, which suffered smoke damage in the Clark fire but was open for business the next day, remains open despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the lots beside and behind Vienna where the neighboring businesses used to stand are now empty and it is not known what’s next. Demolition on the two former feed and seed stores began Oct. 11, 2019.
Downtown Bellingham Partnership Executive Director Alice Clark told The Bellingham Herald in an email that she looked into what might be planned for the property, but was unable to find anything.
“Might be that there simply is no movement right now,” Clark said.
Bellingham Development Services Manager Kurt Nabbefeld told The Herald in an email his office also has not received notice of what the property might next be used for, but added that the land has multiple owners, and “that can cause issues for redevelopment of an area.”
“We have told all parties that we are here waiting to help whenever they are ready to discuss options with such an amazing, though unfortunate, opportunity!” Nabbefeld wrote.
Facebook pages run by Hohl and Clark have gone dormant, with no posts in 2020 on either page, while Avalon Records’ last post April 14 included a photo of the empty lot and said, “All done. Never got back in. This month would have been Avalon’s 33⅓ birthday ... Love and gratitude to all who came into orbit around the strange anomaly at 1330 Railroad.”
This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
