Fire heavily damaged a 100-year-old home at 2128 Franklin St. in the Sunnyland neighborhood north of Bellingham High, fire officials said Sunday, May 8.
“Three men lived at the home, and one of the men was working in the yard when he heard a window break and saw smoke was pouring out,” said Assistant Chief Bill Hewett of the Bellingham Fire Department.
Hewett said the man ran to the back of the house and opened the kitchen door to investigate. “He was met with a heavy rush of smoke and fire going out the door” that singed his face but didn’t require medical treatment, Hewett said.
Engine 3 arrived within four minutes of the 2:33 p.m. dispatch, followed within seconds by Engine 1, and firefighters stretched hoses to the back door, spraying water from the outside and then advancing into the two-story, three-bedroom home. Firefighters reported heavy fire conditions on arrival.
Flames were under control within nine minutes but firefighters remained for about three hours, cutting apart walls and pulling down ceilings to make sure fire wasn’t lurking in hidden voids.
Hewett said the fire started in the kitchen but that its cause remained under investigation. He estimated damage at $100,000 to the home and its contents. No injuries were reported.