Whatcom County residential fire destroys garage, nearby trailer
No major injuries were reported in a fire that completely destroyed a detached garage and trailer near Sandy Point on Thursday night.
An adjacent double-wide mobile home also received heavy smoke and flame damage, according to Fire District 17 Chief Jim Petrie.
The location of the two-alarm fire was 3762 Sinclair Drive in Ferndale. A large smoke cloud from the fire was visible from some parts of Bellingham.
The call first came in around 4:34 p.m., Nov. 13, as a garage fire, but was quickly upgraded to a garage and residential fire.
It was also first reported that there were several people trapped inside the garage, including children. This caused authorities to call for more resources. However, this claim turned out to be false, Petrie told The Bellingham Herald.
The homeowner said the fire started from a wood stove in his garage. He told fire authorities that when he opened the stove to tend to the fire, some embers escaped and ignited a nearby can of fuel, according to Petrie.
The homeowner was able to escape the fire but received minor burns on his hand, according to Petrie. First responders had the fire under control in about 20 minutes.
Units from Fire District 7, the Bellingham Fire Department, North Whatcom Fire and Rescue and the South Whatcom Fire Authority also assisted.
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