Bellingham firefighters battle two-alarm fire at church on Cornwall Avenue early Friday
The Bellingham Fire Department battled a two-alarm blaze at a church on Cornwall Avenue early Friday in the Sunnyland neighborhood.
Fire and police investigators are now working to determine what caused that fire that left significant damage through much of the church.
Crews were called to the 2500 block of Cornwall Avenue at 4:25 a.m. for a commercial fire, according to the PulsePoint app.
“First arriving crews found heavy fire with fire through the roof,” a Bellingham Fire Department tweet at 5:15 a.m. read.
Flames were coming from an office area of the building area near the church’s chapel, Bellingham Fire Department spokesperson Dave Pethick told The Bellingham Herald.
“Once we made access through the worship side of the church, they found high heat and smoke through the stained glass,” Pethick said.
It was then that the second alarm was sounded at 4:52 a.m., Pethick said, adding that crews from North Whatcom Fire and Rescue, South Whatcom Fire Authority and Whatcom County Fire District 7 responded.
“It’s a big building and a commercial building with access issues,” Pethick said. “It’s pretty standard for us to call for more help in those situations.”
Despite the size of the building, a basement inside it and power lines in the alley behind the church, Pethick called the fire “pretty straight forward.”
But damage was “significant” to both the offices and chapel, Pethick said.
Firefighters did not find anybody inside the church, Pethick said, but one firefighter was taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries and has since been released. Streets in the area also had to be closed while firefighters were on scene.
“Fire investigators are working with BPD on the cause of the fire,” Pethick said.
The Herald has asked police for more information regarding the investigation.
According to the St. John’s Lutheran Church Facebook page, that church at least previously occupied the building that burned Friday.
Pethick said he was not sure which church was currently leasing the building, but a sign outside still reads “St. John’s Lutheran Church.”
This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 7:34 AM.
