Police investigating after fire at Bellingham store caused more than $50,000 in damage
The Bellingham Police Department is continuing to investigate last week’s fire that is believed to have been intentionally set by a shoplifter and caused more than $50,000 worth of damage to the Burlington Coat Factory store.
“We are attempting to identify the suspect in this case as he was able to get away without being contacted,” Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email Monday, Nov. 8.
Murphy said initial estimates to the damage caused by the Nov. 3 fire were “in excess of $50,000, however, that could be more between the burned items and the smoke and water damage to other parts of the store and its entire inventory.”
An automated message at the store’s Bellingham phone line said the store was closed but did not give any additional information about when the store might be able to reopen.
Police and fire units were called to the store shortly after 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 3, after employees reported seeing flames 6 feet high coming from two aisles in the middle of the store, according to a Facebook post by the Bellingham Fire Department.
According to the post, police arrived first at the store and were able to use a fire extinguisher to limit the fire’s spread, and several fire sprinklers within the store put out the flames.
Employees were able to evacuate all customers and themselves, according to the post, adding that there were no injuries in the blaze.
“Our crews reported having a significant amount of smoke throughout the building,” the post read.
According to the police incident log, the fire was started by a shoplifting suspect before they left with stolen merchandise.
Burlington Coat Factory is the second Bellingham business in the Meridian Street corridor to be temporarily closed by fire in recent weeks.
An Oct. 23 fire in a cardboard compactor behind the Michaels crafts store in Bellingham caused heavy smoke damage in that store.
The week after the fire, a sign in the store’s window read: “We miss our wonderful customers! We can’t wait to see you again!”
As of Monday, a message left on the phone line of the Bellingham Michaels still says that the store remains “closed until further notice.”
