Whatcom County Fire District 7 (WCFD7) firefighters were dispatched about 11pm last night, January 12th, to a report of a structure fire in the 5900 block of Portal Way.
When they arrived they found a fully-involved garage fire.
According to WCFD7 Division Chief Ben Boyko, a family member in the adjacent house noticed the garage on fire and called 911.
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Click for more informationBoyko described the structure as a 1920s solid wood 20-foot by 30-foot garage with a storage loft and multiple layers of roof.
“As it was unstable and unsafe to fight from the interior. We had a quick initial knock down but it took us a while to put out all of the hot spots,” Boyko said.
Ferndale Police were called to investigate. Boyko said the structure was not safe to enter so the cause remained undetermined at this time.
Boyko believed the structure to be a total loss including contents. He added there were no injuries or persons displaced as a result of the fire.
UPDATE 4:25pm
Ferndale Police Sergeant Travis Card said FPD officers did investigate and found no evidence to indicate the fire was intentionally started or suspicious in nature. A heater that might have tipped over was cited as a possible cause.