Update: Cause unknown after weekend fire destroys Bellingham house
A fire completely destroyed a two-story house in Bellingham on Saturday afternoon.
No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire could not be determined following an investigation by the Whatcom County Fire Marshal, according to Fire Inspector Bailey Hawkins and North Whatcom Fire and Rescue Fire Chief Jason Van der Veen.
The house was already fully engulfed when firefighters arrived on the scene at the 4000 block of Squalicum Lake Road at 4:40 p.m May 30, Van der Veen told The Bellingham Herald.
He said there was heavy fire on both levels of the home, with smoke and flame visible from three sides of the building.
After the homeowner confirmed to firefighters that nobody was inside the building, crews began a “defensive fire operation” to prevent the fire from spreading. Water was applied from the outside and crews did not perform any interior firefighting due to the risk of the structure collapsing, Van der Veen said.
The fire was declared under control at 5:45 p.m., according to Van der Veen.
When the fire was out, the homeowner arranged for an excavator to remove the second floor of the house because it was heavily damaged and was determined to be a safety concern, Van der Veen said.
This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 12:01 PM.
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