Fire at Whatcom County farm destroys barn; charging battery suspected as cause
A fire completely destroyed a workshop Friday morning at Grace Harbor Farms in Whatcom County. No injuries were reported, and no animals were harmed in the blaze.
The fire occurred around 4:30 p.m. Owner David Lukens told The Herald the damage will not affect creamery production.
“It’s pretty surreal watching your shop and your barn burn,” Lukens said. “Anyone who has gone through a disaster kind of knows that feeling. It just doesn’t feel real for a while.”
The farm, located off Birch Bay Lynden Road north of Custer, will remain open. Most dairy production for the farm is done off site, and the creamery building was not damaged.
Lukens said the damaged workshop was home to several pet goats that were moved to a pasture. There also were some delivery vehicles near the workshop, but just one was lightly damaged.
“I mean, at the end of the day, it was the best-case scenario,” Lukens said.
Investigators have yet to determine the fire’s exact cause. Lukens said it was likely an off-brand, 60-volt battery that was charging in the workshop.
“The fire marshal and I were discussing the possibility of that, and he said it was very likely the cause,” Lukens said. “They are seeing more and more of these off-brand batteries. You know, like Amazon or Temu batteries come in, and they don’t have the chip in there to shut them off, and they just overpower and turn into lithium-ion bombs.”
Firefighters used water tender trucks to attack the blaze and keep it away from a 500-gallon diesel tank inside the workshop, according to North Whatcom Fire and Rescue Chief Jason Van der Veen.
This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 12:43 PM.
.jpg)