Bellingham homeless encampment burns in weekend fire
A homeless encampment in north Bellingham burned this weekend due to a small fire that started in the area.
The Bellingham Fire Department and Bellingham Police Department responded around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 25, to the fire that was located in a wooded area north of east Sunset Drive near Sunset Pond and Squalicum Creek, according to Bellingham Fire Capt. Dustin Michaelis.
When crews arrived, they found tents and other miscellaneous items on fire in the encampment.
Individuals nearby told fire officials that the encampment had been vacated, Capt. Michaelis told The Bellingham Herald.
Fire crews had difficulty accessing the fire with hose lines due to the muddy, wet terrain and woods in the area, Michaelis said. Due to the access challenge and the small size of the fire, police and fire crews decided to monitor the fire and let it burn out on its own.
No injuries were reported and no amount of property value was assessed for the items damaged in the fire. Fire officials did not say how the fire was caused.
