Sacred Heart Winter Chapel in Bellingham damaged in early morning fire
The Winter Chapel at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bellingham was damaged in a fire early Wednesday, Dec. 23.
“The fire was quickly contained by the fire department, but the exterior wall of the Winter Chapel and chapel interior sustained heavy damage. It is truly a miracle that the main church is untouched and unaffected,” Father Cody Ross wrote in an email to parishioners shared with The Bellingham Herald.
A fire at the chapel at 1111 14th St. was called in at 4:14 a.m., according to the Pulse Point app. It appears 22 emergency units responded.
The Herald has asked the Bellingham Fire Department for details.
“Pray for me, pray for our parish staff and pray for our dedicated volunteers as we navigate this new and unforeseen crisis,” Ross wrote.
Christmas masses will go on as scheduled.
The church is working with the archdiocese and insurance company to clean and restore the chapel as soon as possible, Ross wrote.
The Bellingham Fire Department noted on its Facebook page Wednesday afternoon that “It was a busy end of shift for C-shift this morning. At about 4:15 crews were alerted by a passerby of smoke from a church in Fairhaven. Engine 2 arrived and was able to quickly extinguish the fire. Damage was limited to the area of origin and no injuries were reported. Thanks to Bellingham Police Department for helping look for “hot spots” with their UAV.”
This story will be updated.
This story was originally published December 23, 2020 at 10:15 AM.
