Fire in the streets of Bellingham

Clarkes Seed and Feed has been hit with a severe fire, marking the second store fire in five months- happening right next door even, to a business which shared the same wall. The fire spread to Avalon record store on the otherside and you felt you were inhaling old vynl, records lost in time. In the air with the plumes of smoke you could inhale Frank Zappa, The Beatles, Iggy Pop, and all others gone down Railroad Ave in noxious fumes.

The fighters arrived and declared it a 3 alarm fire, meaning the size and severity is dangerous to the workers and people surrounding. Three departments are called in and the news are contacted at this stage. The large crowd of some 200 were told to stand back and cautioned to leave what might be very bad smoke to breathe in.

I talked to a fighter and they told several alarms had gone off ignored within the building from an owner who might have checked and not investigated well enough. Or it could have been a fire within a wall, we don’t know but fire investigators are on the scene we’ll know soon.

The fire also affected the laundromat Vienna Cleaners, though not as badly as Avalon records. Severe water damage will be an obstacle for the laundromat. The cleaners is opened again today, though they did have to rewash some clothes that customers returned due to a smoky smell.