Friday’s destructive two-alarm church fire in Bellingham being investigated as arson
Last week’s destructive, two-alarm fire at a church on Cornwall Avenue is being investigated as arson by the Bellingham Police Department after witnesses reported hearing breaking glass.
The Bellingham Fire Department battled the two-alarm blaze at Ukrainian Evangelical Church of Bellingham early Friday in the Sunnyland neighborhood.
After receiving calls from witnesses who reported flames and hearing glass break at approximately 4:25 a.m., police arrived to see the entire south wing of the church on fire, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
“First arriving crews found heavy fire with fire through the roof,” a Bellingham Fire Department tweet at 5:15 a.m. read.
Flames were coming from an office area of the building near the church’s chapel, Bellingham Fire Department spokesperson Dave Pethick told The Herald.
“Once we made access through the worship side of the church, they found high heat and smoke through the stained glass,” Pethick said.
It was then that the second alarm was sounded at 4:52 a.m., Pethick said, adding that crews from North Whatcom Fire and Rescue, South Whatcom Fire Authority and Whatcom County Fire District 7 responded.
“It’s a big building and a commercial building with access issues,” Pethick said. “It’s pretty standard for us to call for more help in those situations.”
Despite the size of the building, a basement inside it and power lines in the alley behind the church, Pethick called the fire “pretty straight forward.” But damage was “significant” to both the offices and chapel, Pethick said.
Firefighters did not find anybody inside the church, Pethick said, but one firefighter was taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries and has since been released.
Alabama Street between Cornwall and Dean Street was closed for several hours while fired crews and investigators worked the scene, Murphy reported.
“The initial damage appears to be several hundred thousand dollars,” Murphy wrote. “BPD Detectives, CSI’s and BFD’s fire investigators are continuing to investigate this arson to determine a suspect, as well as cause and origin.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the police department’s tip line at 360-778-8611 or email cob.org/tips.
The Sunnyland Urban Farm planned to host a bake sale Saturday, Sept. 11, originally planned to be hosted by the Ukrainian Evangelical Church of Bellingham, according to a Facebook post, with “all proceeds to benefit the rebuilding of the UECB church.”
The urban farm also announced plans to set up a gofundme page to help benefit the church’s rebuilding efforts, which had raised more than $6,000 toward its stated $25,000 goal as of Monday.
