Whatcom Middle School

Whatcom Middle School Structurally OK

Good news for Bellingham and Whatcom Middle School. The gym floor is warped from water damage everything is dirty, damp and covered in debris, and light pours into the building where the roof used to be, but the building appears to be salvageable.

The good news is the interior is largely still intact, the structure still stands and the fire damage appears to have been mostly limited to the roof, according to Bellingham Fire Chief Bill Boyd.

Investigators with the Bellingham Fire Department are still trying to determine the fire’s cause.

“I was surprised by what I would consider to be a minimal amount of fire damage on the second floor,” Boyd said. “Obviously it’s a mess that’s going to take some cleanup.”

The school boards hopes of saving the school are starting to look pretty good, maybe within a few years the doors of Whatcom Middle School will be open again.

Whatcom Middle School

Fire Destroy’s Historic Whatcom Middle School

Whatcom Middle School which is Bellingham’s oldest school,was badly damaged by fire this morning. The school was over 100 years old. It had been going through a major remodeling and seismic retrofit to help it withstand an earthquake. The fire was presumed to be started by the welding activity on the roof of the historic building.

The school district is scrambling to find a place to send close to 600 students Monday, and until a new school can be built as there seems to be far to  much damage to rebuild it..

You can see some of the news coverage and more information on the fire below.

Whatcom Middle School Fire