Bellingham Fire Department: Apartment building fire caused by faulty ceiling fan
An apartment building fire that forced residents to evacuate Monday morning in Bellingham was determined to be caused by a faulty ceiling fan, according to Bellingham Fire Department Capt. Dustin Michaelis.
No injuries were reported in an apartment fire, which took place in a two-story apartment at 1422 Alabama Street.
Fire crews responded at about 9:54 a.m. Monday. Visible smoke was coming from the second floor when crews arrived.
Most of the fire was quickly determined to be confined to an attic space instead of any apartment units, according to Bellingham Fire Department Battalion Chief Ryan Provencher.
Crews quickly got the fire under control, Provencher said in an interview with The Bellingham Herald.
“It took us about 20 minutes to feel like we were really ahead of the fire, and then after that we were finishing up our primary and secondary searches and doing some final overhaul, but I would say around the 20-minute mark is when we really had a handle on everything,” Provencher said.
All apartment residents were safely outside with no injuries by the time crews arrived, although firefighters were able to rescue a cat and a dog from the building, Provencher told The Herald.
This is a developing story and may be updated as more information becomes available.
