Posted: November 05, 2009 05:03:01 PST
A major fire still in progress at Whatcom Middle School has severely damaged the school. No injuries have been reported at this time.
The fire was orginally reported at 01:06 a.m. on November 5 by a neighbor who saw flames shooting from the roof of the school. The fire proceeded to consume the entire roof and major portions of the third floor of the building. High winds buffeted the emergency scene causing fire crews to patrol the surrounding area for spot fires. Scattered power outages have occurred in the downtown area as a result of the fire. The main body of the fire has been knocked down by large hose streams including those from four aerial ladder trucks. Numerous pockets of fire still exist and will be addressed as conditions allow.
Units from the Bellingham Fire Department responded and immediately requested assistance from neighboring fire agencies including South Whatcom Fire Authority, North Whatcom Fire/Rescue, and Fire Districts 4, 7, and 8. 20 fire apparatus, staffed by 70 firefighters, are operating at the three-alarm fire. Other agencies assisting include Bellingham Police and Public Works Departments, Bellingham School District, Washington State Patrol, Whatcom County Sheriff's Office, Puget Sound Energy, and the American Red Cross.
The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time. Fire investigators are on-scene and will begin a formal investigation once the fire is under control.
The school, located at 810 Halleck Street in central Bellingham, is a three-story structure that was originally constructed in 1903. School at Whatcom will be cancelled on Thursday, November 5, but the remainder of the Bellingham schools will be operating on normal schedules.
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Media Contact:
Andy Day, Assistant Chief
Bellingham Fire Department
(360) 778-8480
aday@cob.org
