Fire causes estimated $2.5 million in damage at Whatcom boatyard at Gooseberry Point
A fire at a Whatcom County boatyard near the Lummi Island Ferry landing on Gooseberry Point destroyed a building containing boats and fishing gear, causing an estimated $2.5 million in damage.
Shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 10, firefighters at Station 34 on MacKenzie Road heard a boom, Bellingham Fire Department spokesperson Dustin Michaelis told The Bellingham Herald.
“With fireworks in the area this time of year, they didn’t initially think much of it, but then they heard another explosion,” Michaelis said. “When they saw dark smoke coming from their area, they hopped in their rig, and they were on their way to the fire before they received the call from dispatch.”
By the time firefighters arrived one of three buildings at the boatyard, which is located next to the Lummi Bay Market at Fisherman’s Cove, was fully involved in flames and smoke, Michaelis said.
Reports are there were people in the 50-by-100-foot building at the time of the fire, Michaelis said, but no serious injuries were reported. Everybody was outside by the time firefighters arrived and were working to move vehicles and boats away from the building that was on fire.
Firefighters put water on flames, and with the help of those moving vehicles and boats, they were able to prevent damage to anything outside the building, Michaelis said. But the building and all of its contents, which included boats and crab pots, were a total loss.
The initial estimate for damage was set at $2.5 million, according to Michaelis, who added that Whatcom County fire inspectors are heading back to the site Wednesday, May 11, to continue the investigation into what caused the fire.
The Herald has reached out to the Lummi Nation for comment about the impact of the fire.
