One year on, memorial honors life of business owner Nate Breaux, lost in Harris Avenue fire
A memorial honoring community member and business owner Nathaniel Breaux lined the fences surrounding the former site of the historic Terminal Building in Bellingham, marking one year since the Harris Avenue fire that destroyed the building and killed Breaux.
The memorial included photos of Breaux with family and friends, along with photos of the businesses lost in the fire, Harris Avenue Cafe and The Old Independent Coffee House. Breaux was the owner of the businesses.
A floral wreath was hung on the fence with potted flowers sitting below it.
On Friday afternoon, several passers-by stopped to pay their respects, including a mother and child who embraced as a soft rain fell.
Lost in the fire was artwork including a painting of the cafe by an artist who posted a story about how he gave Breaux the painting in exchange for food and coffee.
“There is so much grief and sadness that the loss of the exhibition space seems only a small part. Yet Nate and the previous owners always supported local artists,” the tribute states.
One poster on the fence features a QR code linking to a GoFundMe campaign started by Breaux’s family to name a mountain bike trail at Galbraith Mountain in his honor. They hope to build a marker and bench near the DadBod trailhead.
“Nathaniel was looking forward to the time that he could introduce his daughter, Izabella, to mountain biking and he would love the idea of supporting kids’ biking programs,” the poster said.
The fire started in the late evening hours on Dec. 16, 2023. Firefighters arrived around 11:58 p.m. to find flames coming out of the first-floor windows of the historic building and reaching up to the second floor. Fire crews battled the blaze through the night.
Breaux was originally reported as missing after the fire. It could not be confirmed whether he was inside for more than a week after the fire while crews worked to safely dismantle the building. His body was eventually discovered in the building’s wreckage on Dec. 26.
After a monthslong investigation, officials announced they were unable to determine the cause of the fire. But the final report, released by the Bellingham Fire Department in April, did determine that the fire started on the cafe side of the building near the kitchen and serving area.
This story was originally published December 16, 2024 at 2:32 PM.
