The cause of a fire that killed a 39-year-old cafe owner and destroyed Fairhaven’s Terminal Building in mid-December will remain undetermined, according to a Bellingham Fire Department investigation report obtained by Cascadia Daily News Thursday, April 18.
Fire investigators found the origin of the fire to be between the server’s area and kitchen appliance line at the Harris Avenue Cafe, but could not determine exactly how the Dec. 16, 2023, fire started because of the extent of the damage, according to the report.
The 135-year-old building had no fire alarm system, sprinkler system or smoke detectors. The building was equipped with a compliant fire extinguishment system over the kitchen appliances, the report stated.
A large kitchen flat top located under a hood was turned on the night of the fire, and its fire suppression system was activated, according to the report. Investigators were unable to determine whether the suppression equipment was activated due to the blaze stemming from the flat top or from the heat of fire elsewhere in the building, according to the report.
The investigation is considered closed.
Fire Chief Bill Hewett told CDN that it was doubtful anyone would truly learn what happened the night of the fire.
“The unfortunate part was there was a lot of damage from the fire and then a lot of secondary damage from the building collapse, which then makes it hard to sort out what was damage from the original fire and what was damaged from the collapse,” he said. “Then on top of that, because we were in that recovery mode, we were pulling parts of the building out to try to speed up the search of the building.”
Nathaniel Breaux, who owned Harris Avenue Cafe and The Old Independent Coffeehouse that were housed in the building, died of smoke inhalation. He had hosted a graduation party in the building and stayed late to clean up on the night of the fire, the report stated.
Breaux’s body was found on Dec. 26 at the base of the stairs on the coffee shop side of the building. He was buried in collapsed material from the second floor. His clothes were intact, and there were no signs he had been subjected to an explosion, according to the report. Fire extinguishers were found on site but had not been used.
Documents show Breaux communicated with a friend at 10:27 p.m. Dec. 16 stating he would “see her the next day.” A staff member at the neighboring El Agave restaurant said Breaux came in for a drink sometime between 10 p.m. and midnight, according to a timeline of events compiled by investigators.
A 911 call was made at 11:57 p.m. to report a fire at 1101 Harris Ave.
The documents include witness statements. A witness was walking along Harris Avenue and smelled smoke. He could see flames inside the cafe, and stated he could hear a male voice faintly calling “help me” from the second floor. Other witnesses confirmed they too heard someone calling for help.
Witnesses attempted to kick in the cafe door, but were unsuccessful. They threw rocks, breaking the front windows and causing the fire to erupt, according to the report.
First responders arrived on the scene at 12:02 a.m. Dec. 17. Police told firefighters about witness reports of someone trapped upstairs. Firefighters accessed the second floor, but didn’t find any victims or hear cries for help. Firefighters were forced to evacuate immediately, fearing a collapse due to flames below the floor, according to the report. Firefighters battled the blaze for four hours.
A CDN investigation found that the Terminal Building had not been inspected by city fire officials since 2018, but it was still fire-code compliant.
The owner of the Terminal Building, Jim Hestad, said the most recent work done on the building was the installation of a plate warmer and a restaurant toaster in the cafe sometime in September 2023, the report stated.
The Terminal Building, built in 1888, was the third historic building in Whatcom County in four years to be lost to fire.
This is a breaking story. Check back later for updates.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
