Stations

Firefighting Equipment Stolen from WA Fire Station

Feb. 1, 2022

For the second time in 2 1/2 years, a Whatcom County fire station has been burglarized and the thieves made off with $18,000 in equipment.

By David Rasbach

Source The Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, Wash.) (TNS)

Whatcom County Fire District 16 station has been burglarized for the second time in the past 2 1/2 years.

For the second time in the past 2 1/2 years, a Whatcom County Fire District 16 station has been been burglarized.

This weekend it was Station 86 in Acme, according to a Facebook post made by the fire district Saturday, Jan. 29, and thieves made away with more than $18,000 in life-saving fire equipment.

Included in what was stolen, according to the post, were five power saws, two generators, one combination battery-powered tool and one battery-powered flood light.

According to a video that was included in the post, firefighters were called to help following a car crash and arrived at the station to find the doors on all their rigs open and the equipment missing.

"They (the thieves) just thought it would be OK to open every door, leave it open, so that we couldn't respond and help people out," the video stated. "Every one of our rigs at Station 86 was gone through and things were taken."

At the time the video was made, the station had no saws, though the fire district did have some backup equipment.

"Things are hard to get right now. They (the stolen equipment) will take some time and extra money to replace," read the post.

In October of 2019, District 16 was victimized when Fire Station 87 in the Van Zandt area was burglarized.

Saturday's video asked that any information about Saturday's burglary be forwarded to Chief Hank Maleng at 360-595-2161.

"If the equipment is returned immediately no questions will be asked," the post read.

Fire District 16 covers the area surrounding State Route 9 from the Skagit County border in the south to the Middle Fork of the Nooksack River in the north. The district has firehouses in Van Zandt, Acme and Wickersham.

The Bellingham Herald will be reaching out to Fire District 16 and the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office Monday for more information.

This story was originally published January 31, 2022 7:47 AM.

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Visit The Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, Wash.) at www.bellinghamherald.com

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