Bellingham explosion avoided, man arrested for allegedly starting fire near shelter
A man was arrested for arson early Monday morning after allegedly starting a fire next to the gas meter attached to the Base Camp building in downtown Bellingham.
Edmund Snow McCormack, 65, was arrested around 2 a.m. on March 27 after a Bellingham Police Department officer driving by Base Camp noticed a fire in some bushes on the southeast corner of the building, according to Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy.
The officer used an an extinguisher to put out the fire, which appeared to be started with a pile of garbage, sheets, paperback books and a linen laundry bag, according to Murphy.
The officer determined the fire was deliberately started within one foot of the building’s natural gas meter, which supplies natural gas to Base Camp.
Base Camp staff were then notified of the fire, reviewed security cameras and identified McCormack on-camera, Murphy told The Bellingham Herald. McCormack was seen assembling the trash and tinder pile under the bush, lighting it and walking away, according to Murphy.
McCormack was found by another officer hiding behind a nearby dumpster and was arrested on suspicion of first-degree arson and second-degree trespassing. McCormack allegedly admitted to starting the fire and was booked into the Whatcom County Jail on no bail, according to Murphy and jail records.
More than 100 people, including residents and staff, were inside Base Camp at the time of the fire. Police determined the fire posed a significant threat based on the number of people in the building and the possibility that it could have caused a gas explosion.
McCormack had previously been trespassed from Base Camp after trying to set another fire and for behaving aggressively toward residents and staff, according to Murphy.
Base Camp is located at 1530 Cornwall Ave. in Bellingham. It’s an operation of the Lighthouse Mission Ministries, a local nonprofit organization that provides homeless shelters and services.
