A second person has died from their injuries in connection to an early morning residential fire in Ferndale on Dec. 5.
A 26-year-old woman who was injured in the fire died the day after at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. One other person died at the scene of the fire, confirmed Megan Juenemann, the City of Ferndale’s communications and community relations officer.
Whatcom County Fire District 7 crews were dispatched around 7:04 a.m. to a residence at the 2100 block of Eastview Place in Ferndale after a report of a structure fire at an apartment building. Responding crews encountered a fire on the second floor of the building.
Crews were able to gain control of the fire by 7:18 a.m., at which point officers with the Ferndale Police Department and fire marshals from the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office were able to access the building, Juenemann said at the time.
The first victim, Kristine Gregory, 53, died of suspected smoke inhalation, according to the Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s Office.
On Monday, Dec. 9, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office released the cause of death for the 26-year-old victim, Sierra Johnson — smoke inhalation and thermal injury.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
