Semiahmoo Drive house fire considered total loss

A log cabin in Semiahmoo was considered a total loss after firefighters fought off flames the evening of March 1. No one was injured.

North Whatcom Fire and Rescue (NWFR), Ferndale Fire Department and Lynden Fire Department responded to a neighbor’s report of a house fire in the 8500 block of Semiahmoo Drive around 8 p.m. March 1. The two-story home had 40-foot flames billowing out of its roof by the time firefighters arrived, said Jon Ahrenholz, NWFR division chief of operations.

Firefighters never went inside because of the amount of fire. The fire was difficult to put out because of the cabin’s heavy timber structure, Ahrenholz said.

The Canadian homeowners were not home during the fire. No one was injured and the fire remained contained to the property.

Firefighters spent about two hours putting out the fire and stayed until 3 a.m. to ensure the fire was extinguished. It took 11,000 gallons of water to put out the fire at the log home. Typically, it takes under 3,000 gallons to put out a house fire, Ahrenholz said.

The Whatcom County Fire Marshal’s Office is still investigating, fire inspector Jacob Johnson said. 

So far this year, NWFR has responded to four structural fires in the 98230 zip code, which encompasses Blaine, Birch Bay and Custer. NWFR responded to eight structural fires in the zip code in 2022, NWFR fire chief Jason Van der Veen said.