Birch Bay house fire extinguished on Thursday last week

By Gwen Roley

A home caught fire in Birch Bay at 8254 Breeze Loop on the afternoon of Thursday, February 7. All the residents of the home are safe and didn’t require medical attention.

According to interim fire chief Joe Noonchester of North Whatcom Fire and Rescue, the cause of the fire is presumed accidental. The owner of the home was trying to light a barbeque on the front porch which then got out of hand.

The house had extensive smoke and heat damage and will mostly likely have to be completely rebuilt, Noonchester said. Noonchester said he understands that the three residents of the home and their pets have a place to stay.

This was one of two fires in Birch Bay that day, with the other occurring at an unoccupied dwelling on Anderson Road.

The fire department received a call from a resident of the home on Breeze Loop at around 1:45 p.m and were able to reach the house within five minutes. Units from Whatcom fire stations 61, 63 and 43, battalion 76 and chief 71 responded to the call. Once they arrived, they were able to put out the fire in about 20 minutes, Noonchester said.

“For us, it was a single-alarm, residential fire, a textbook-type of fire,” Noonchester said. “A good day despite the loss of the structure.”

After the fire was extinguished, the crew stayed on the scene for another hour and a half to check for any hotspots in the structure that could ignite again. For example, one of the two cars parked in front of the residence had a full tank of gas, which kept catching fire and needed to be repeatedly put out.

The firefighters were able to retrieve documents and photos which were important to the residents, Noonchester said.

“Many tragic house fires such as this one could be prevented by taking a few simple precautions,” said local plumbing contractor, Ben Faber.

Faber advises to not store anything near gas water heaters or furnaces because, in the event of a malfunction, these items could catch fire. They can also block the airflow to these appliances which can cause improper combustion and carbon deposit build-up. Fires can also be avoided by disposing of dryer lint regularly, Faber said.

If there is fire or smoke in your residence or place of business, leave the building immediately and call 9-1-1.