Vegetation fire burns Monday inside Stimpson Family Nature Reserve in Bellingham
Firefighters from Bellingham and several other Whatcom County fire departments fought a wildfire in dense forest along Lake Louise Road on Monday afternoon east of Bellingham.
A tree branch fell on power lines along Lake Louise Road, sparking the fire, which grew to about one-quarter acre, said Connor England, who was supervising firefighters from the state Department of Natural Resources.
Fire was burning in brush and grasses along the ground and around the base of large trees on a steep hillside.
It was contained by 3:30 p.m. but firefighters likely would remain until about 6 p.m., soaking the ground and looking for smoldering embers, England told The Bellingham Herald at the scene.
There are no reports of injuries or damage to buildings.
Two DNR crews of about a dozen firefighters took over from Bellingham, South Whatcom Fire Authority, North Whatcom Fire and Rescue, and Whatcom County fire districts 7 and 18.
Bellingham and Whatcom County units made the initial fire attack and kept the flames in check, and also provided water supply, said Chief Mitch Nolze of South Whatcom Fire Authority.
Crews were dispatched just before 2 p.m. to the fire burning in the Stimpson Family Nature Reserve south of Lake Whatcom between Sudden Valley and Bellingham’s Geneva neighborhood.
England told The Herald in an interview that fighters were surrounding the fire with hose lines and planned to soak the ground.
Firefighters will check the area daily for any signs of fire in the dense underbrush, England said.
Lake Louise Road was closed during the firefighting activities.
Power was out briefly in part of Sudden Valley as a Puget Sound Energy lineman cut the branch free.
Photos sent from the scene at about 2:50 p.m. showed firefighters working to put out the fire along the road. Smoke could be seen coming off a burn scar in the vegetation.
A Department of Natural Resources helicopter was also at the scene dropping water on the fire from above.
Fire danger is high in Western Washington as a heat wave bakes the region with temperatures that are 10 to 20 degrees above normal.
Bellingham International Airport reported a high of 88 degrees at 3:50 p.m.
This story was originally published August 14, 2023 at 3:15 PM.
