Missing cafe owner Nathaniel “Nate” Breaux is presumed to have been in the Terminal Building when it caught fire late Saturday night, according to a statement released by family members Thursday afternoon.
“Given what we know about the timeline of his night, it is presumed that Nate was in the building when the fire started, and we expect his body to be recovered in the coming days,” family members said in the statement. “We are utterly devastated to share this news, and we ask for the community’s respect as crews begin searching the building in the coming days.
The Dec. 16 fire left the historic brick building structurally unstable, hampering search efforts earlier this week. Fire investigators made limited penetration into the building on Monday. However, the search was temporarily postponed after they exhausted safe options and found no victims.
The 39-year-old Breaux owned both the Harris Avenue Cafe and the Old Independent Coffeehouse on the ground floor of the building. He had started in the dish pit while going to school at Western, working his way up to head chef. Then, in 2016 he bought the cafe, the family explained.
They said that the two beloved Bellingham establishments were “his life.”
“His passion for healthy, wholesome food was visible in every dish, where almost everything was made from scratch and sourced from local vendors,” the family said.
“He wanted nothing more than for the cafe to be a place for the community to come together and enjoy a warm atmosphere and good food, in a beautiful historic building that held decades of memories.”
As family members grieved, crews continued to work through the week demolishing the top floor of the building and shoring up portions of the remaining structure to allow a more thorough search. As of Wednesday, they were waiting for special containers to arrive to dispose of asbestos-containing debris from the interior of the building.
Breaux, who had catered a celebration for several Western Washington University graduates Saturday night, was confirmed missing Sunday. By Monday, bouquets of flowers were being placed along an fence set up to keep the public at a safe distance should the building collapse. Family and friends gathered at its edge, watching the search.
The family’s statement emphasized the value of community connections Breaux treasured most from his work and ownership of the two beloved Fairhaven establishments.
The statement explained that Breaux did not measure his wealth with financial gain, but through the impact he made on the people around him – making the world a happier, kinder and more loving place.
“In that sense, he was extremely wealthy,” the family stated. “While quiet and reserved, and sometimes hard to know, his friends and family knew that when he said something, it mattered.”
Breaux had a 2-year-old daughter, Izabella, who “was the center of his universe.” He is remembered for sharing his passions for biking, music, art and outdoor adventures with his daughter and anyone else who knew him, family members said.
The family plans to share details about a memorial fund for Breaux in the coming weeks.
“We want to extend a deep gratitude to the Bellingham community, and especially Nate’s friends and coworkers, for their support during this devastating time,” the family said.
