Residents told to shelter in place after reports of odor in apartment building
No significant injuries were reported following a hazardous material 911 response Saturday afternoon.
A resident in a building in the 400 block of York Street reported a strong smell that had caused the person to cough when retrieving mail, and fire crews arrived around 3:25 p.m. The crews requested a hazmat team.
Two firefighters entered the building and upon reaching the fourth floor noticed a strong odor and left the building. The two firefighters were taken to the emergency room out of caution but were soon released and returned to their shift, according to Bellingham Fire Capt. Dustin Michaelis.
Residents in the building were told to shelter in place in their apartments while the fire department ventilated the building, Michaelis said.
Nothing remarkable was found in the building, but responders encountered an individual who was dispersing bear spray into the stairwell, Michaelis said.
Police contacted the individual and confiscated the bear spray. The building was then ventilated a second time, Michaelis said. He said it was likely the individual had sprayed bear spray several times throughout the day, causing the original odor in the building and the emergency response, although there is no evidence of this.
The individual with the bear spray was not arrested. They told police the bear spray was because they believed people were breaking into their apartment, according to Lt. Andria Fountain with the Bellingham Police Department.
However, police arrested another individual in the building on outstanding warrants. Fountain said the original fire department responders encountered the suspect on the fourth floor.
According to Fountain, the resident was discovered by the first two firefighters who went to the fourth floor who were later taken to the emergency room.
The suspect reported an individual had exited their apartment holding a cooking pan. Police discovered the suspect had warrants out for their arrest. Fountain said there is no evidence the individual or their arrest had anything to do with the hazardous odor in the building.
Despite online rumors, there is no evidence of a drug lab existing in the building, Michaelis said.
Earlier in the day, around noon, another resident called 911 to report a medical emergency and had described conditions and symptoms that were similar to those caused by the hazardous odor, Michaelis said. It is unknown if this incident was related.
This story was originally published April 7, 2026 at 5:15 AM.
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