Man burns to death in sleeping bag on Bellingham sidewalk

Authorities say a man burned to death on a Bellingham sidewalk Sunday, Dec. 3.

The victim was 26-year-old Cody Allen Call, and the incident has been declared an accidental death by the King County Medical Examiner. Call had burns over 95% of his body, according to the medical examiner’s report.

Call was in a sleeping bag when it caught fire around 6 a.m. on Cornwall Avenue, Dustin Michaelis with the Bellingham Fire Department told The Bellingham Herald.

The sleeping bag was no longer on fire by the time first responders arrived at the scene. Call’s body was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center and then transported via helicopter to Harborview Medical in Seattle.

This story was originally published December 7, 2023 at 2:30 PM.

Jack Belcher

The Bellingham Herald

360-715-2206

Jack Belcher covers transportation and recreation for The Bellingham Herald. He graduated from Central Washington University with a degree in digital journalism in 2020 and joined the staff in September 2022. Belcher resides in Bellingham.