Officials with the City of Bellingham and Western Washington University say they don’t have a plan for how to respond if a wildfire erupts in the inner city’s most prominent greenbelt — Sehome Hill Arboretum.
The arboretum, described by the city as “a 175.5 acre oasis” in south Bellingham, is filled with mature stands of trees, some more than a century old. Arboretum rules prohibit fires or fireworks, but officials have found evidence of campfires in the park, city Parks and Recreation Director Nicole Oliver said.
An illegal campfire, a hot day and a strong wind could be a recipe for a rapidly growing fire inside the park, which is flanked by Western Washington University to its west, houses in the Sehome neighborhood to the north and east, and apartment buildings and Sehome High School across Bill McDonald Parkway to the south.
Some of Bellingham’s highest temperatures come with winds out of the northeast. On Aug. 12, 2021, the hottest day on record in the city, the thermometer reached 100 degrees thanks in part to a stiff, hot northeast wind with gusts approaching 30 mph.
Wind from that direction could carry a fire from the arboretum to the complex of buildings at Fairhaven College, or into student housing at Buchanan Towers or Birnam Wood Apartments, including many buildings constructed of wood.
The path of such a fire could impact thousands of residents.
The arboretum master plan, last updated in 2004, doesn’t mention fire.
“We fully understand our community’s concern for local wildfire risk, especially in light of the recent wildfire devastation in Hawaii and, closer to home, the growing Sourdough Fire in Whatcom County’s North Cascades,” Monica Jackson, Western’s director of emergency management and business continuity, said in a statement to Cascadia Daily News.
“As climate change shifts the way organizations approach certain types of emergency planning and hazard mitigation, it is our intent to work closely with the City of Bellingham and arboretum stakeholders to develop a holistic wildfire protection plan in the near future,” Jackson added. “This work should include parks and wildlands within city limits and adjacent to our campus, such as the Sehome Arboretum.”
Bellingham Parks and Recreation incorporates “Firewise risk reduction practices when possible” inside the arboretum, city Communications Director Janice Keller said. This includes keeping fields mowed to reduce the risk of a grass fire.
If a fire starts inside the arboretum, the city’s fire department would “develop a plan based on the unique needs of that incident,” Keller said, citing Fire Chief Bill Hewett.
The city can call on the state Department of Natural Resources to assist with any firefight along Bellingham’s wildland-urban interface.
