On June 10, 1999, a ruptured pipeline above Whatcom Creek pumped 230,000 gallons of gasoline into the waterway. The fuel gushed down the creek and ignited, exploding in an enormous fireball that engulfed the forested banks and sent a towering curtain of black smoke over Bellingham.
The Olympic Pipeline disaster 25 years ago killed two boys and a young man, caused $45 million in property damage and devastated 26 acres of lush riparian area along the creek. But the traumatic event also had powerful positive repercussions for the community and the landscape of pipeline safety and regulation.
The watchdog and advocacy nonprofit Pipeline Safety Trust (PST) rose from the ashes of the explosion. The Olympic Pipe Line Company and its owners were required to pay more than $180 million in fines and damages, with $4 million of that going to the endowment creating and sustaining PST. Thanks to the work of PST, politicians and regulators, new laws and stricter oversight of the industry have been implemented to try to prevent future tragedies.
“Since PST’s inception, the work has moved to a national and federal scale, but we exist because of Bellingham, and Bellingham remains the driver of why we do what we do: so no other community has to experience devastation and loss like that,” PST communications director Kenneth Clarkson said.
To mark the quarter-century that’s passed since the explosion, PST, in partnership with the City of Bellingham, Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, RE Sources and Whatcom Land Trust, is hosting a week of educational and commemorative events at the beginning of June.
“We carry this tragedy every day, in all of our work, but we need to re-engage and reconnect with the community of Bellingham,” Clarkson explained. “There are still tons of folks who remember this day and have some connection to it, but there are tons of new people who might not know about it.”
From Saturday, June 1 through Friday, June 14 there will be an educational display in Western Washington University’s Wade King Recreation Center (named in honor of 10-year-old Wade King, who lost his life in the fire, and funded through donations from his family). The display will include replicas of the interpretive signs to be installed in Whatcom Falls Park. That signage will be unveiled at the park on the afternoon of Monday, June 10 in the grassy area below the water treatment plant off Arbor Street.
“It’s a good spot because a lot of people will be able to learn the story of what happened in this park, whether they’re visiting or they moved here recently,” Clarkson said. “The signage will keep it top of mind as the community changes, but also will be there for everyone who was here and has stark and strong memories of that day — and to honor the lives lost.”
The week’s events start on June 1 with a volunteer creek restoration event in the park and end with a community remembrance gathering on the evening of June 10 at Bellingham High School.
Clarkson emphasized time will be reserved, both during the film screening at the Pickford and during the community gathering, for people to share their experiences, thoughts and feelings about the explosion and its aftermath.
Schedule of events
9 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 1: Restoration work event at Whatcom Falls Park
9:30–10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 8: Film screening and discussion at the Pickford Film Center
2–4 p.m. Saturday, June 8: Guided creek walks at Whatcom Falls Park
10–11 a.m. Monday, June 10: Zoom webinar: Pipeline Safety – The Olympic Pipeline Tragedy to Today
2 p.m. Monday, June 10: Interpretive sign unveiling at Whatcom Falls Park
6 p.m. Monday, June 10: Community remembrance gathering at Bellingham High School Performing Arts Center
All events are free and open to the public, but some require registration. For full event details and registration, visit PST’s website.
Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.
