Contractors made the initial cuts to bring down another section of the historic Terminal Building in Fairhaven Friday afternoon as they methodically worked to make the site safe for search teams.
The contractors are proceeding cautiously due to the unstable nature of the 135-year-old building, which was severely damaged in a late-night fire Saturday, Dec. 16. The goal is to avoid disturbances to the fire investigation, explained Tyson Card of Boss Construction, which was hired to perform the initial demolition.
Crew members worked together to chainsaw the siding and sheathing of a section of the eastern wall on Friday, Dec. 22. Once the second-story wall is removed, the crew will be able to start removing internal components of the structure, officially making it an asbestos-removal project.
Asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral fiber once widely used in construction for its fire resistance and insulation properties, becomes a significant health hazard when disturbed. When buildings containing asbestos — including the historic Terminal Building — are damaged by fire or during demolition, the fibers can become airborne, posing serious risks of lung diseases to those exposed.
“The name of the game for us with asbestos is keeping materials wet to a point that we don’t have a large dust release,” Card said.
Card also said the Bellingham Fire Department offered to assist with water as needed, but the overnight rains created beneficial conditions for the moment. He noted that the crew needs to walk the fine line between keeping materials wet enough that there isn’t dust but not so wet that there is runoff.
The contaminated material will be transferred to a specialty asbestos container, which arrived on site Friday.
“Ultimately, we’re just hoping to help the search and rescue guys facilitate what they need to do in the shortest amount of time possible while keeping everybody safe,” said Card, noting that he expects his team will need to work into the weekend.
Fire investigators made limited penetration into the building on Monday. However, the search was postponed after they exhausted safe options and found no victims.
Missing cafe owner Nate Breaux is presumed to have been in the building when it caught fire late Saturday night, according to a statement released by family members Thursday afternoon.
Breaux owned both the Harris Avenue Cafe and the Old Independent Coffeehouse on the ground floor of the building.
