Two people die in Whatcom County mobile home fire Monday, ATF sending investigators
Two people were able to get out, but two others died when they were trapped in a mobile home fire Monday morning east of Ferndale near Phillips 66 Soccer Park.
ATF announced in a tweet Monday, July 11, that it is sending special agents, including certified fire investigators and an explosive specialist, to assist in the investigation to determine the origin and cause of the fatal fire.
“Our thoughts are definitely with the next of kin today,” Whatcom County Fire District 7 Chief Larry Hoffman told The Bellingham Herald.
District 7, North Whatcom Fire and Rescue and Bellingham Fire Department crews were called to a report of a structure fire at 6:53 a.m. Monday, July 11, in the 5300 block of Northwest Drive, according to the PulsePoint app.
Though the fire was only a couple of football fields away from the North Bellingham Fire Station (Station 43), the double-wide mobile home was already fully engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived, Hoffman said.
Two people inside the home at the time of the fire were able to get out, Hoffman reported, but two others were trapped and could not be saved.
Though water supply was a bit of a challenge, with the nearest hydrants located on Northwest Drive, Hoffman said firefighters were able to limit the fire from spreading to the two nearby homes.
Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office and Whatcom Fire Marshal’s Office investigators are just beginning the process of finding a cause, Hoffman said.
ATF investigators frequently assist local local authorities investigate fires when asked to do so, ATF spokesperson Jason Chudy told The Herald.
“It’s not unusual at all,” Chudy said, adding that Seattle-area ATF investigators have been quite busy recently and they were recently in Whatcom County on another investigation. “We have some of the top investigators in the country, so it’s a good thing for the local investigators and a good thing for our agents.”
District 7’s last fatal fire was approximately 1½ years ago, Hoffman said, adding that “multiple fatality fires are few and far between for us, which is pretty fortunate.”
This story was originally published July 11, 2022 at 10:02 AM.
