On June 10, 1999, around 3:25 P.M., a 16-inch fuel line owned by the Olympic Pipe Line Company ruptured spilling over 277,000 gallons of gasoline into Whatcom Creek. The volatile fuel explodes killing three people. The massive fireball sent smoke 30,000 feet into the air, visible from Anacortes to Vancouver!
Residents nearby called 911 complaining of an overwhelming smell of fuel, but by this time it was too late. At 4:55 P.M., approximately an hour and a half after the estimated time of the pipe rupture, the river was set on fire! |
| Map of Whatcom Creek’s path (in red) that flows through downtown Bellingham, and into the bay. The fire ignited half a mile before the I-5 underpass just to the east of downtown. |
Two young boys, lighting off firecrackers nearby, as it was close to the Fourth of July, were playing near the river. These innocent children are heroes! If they had not accidentally set the fire off when they did, the gas would have continued under an interstate highway, directly into downtown, spilling into the busy Bellingham Bay and marina, with potential deaths and injuries in the thousands. (see map, above)
On June 18, 1999, Bellingham Mayor Mark Asmendson said, “The cause of the fire was the fuel released from the Olympic pipeline. The fact that it was ignited was inevitable. With the thousands and thousands of gallons of fuel that were proceeding down to Whatcom Creek, had the ignition not taken place where it did and at the time it did, the damage to this community and the loss of life would have been far greater. These boys completely, without notice or any awareness, were involved in an action that ended up being heroic for the city of Bellingham.”
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| Smoke Rising from the Creek |
The creek is a special place for me, as are most rivers, and woodland areas. I find the forest such a peaceful location for a “technical detox”; a place to clear my mind and sort things out. I feel fortunate to live in a city that makes nature trails such a priority. Thanks to this trail system I am an easy walk to Whatcom Creek. Although I have only lived near the creek for a year, I am encouraged by the recovery efforts the city has made.
This last Saturday at the Writers International Network Literary Festival in Richmond, B.C., I read my poem “River Ink” inspired by Whatcom Creek. The Festival’s theme this year is “Peace”. I shared this history of the creek with the audience. I shared from the perspective that peace can often be found after the most horrendous events.
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| before/after |
William Wordsworth, a Romantic poet, said it best,
“Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.”
Rest in Peace
Liam Wood, 18, and Wade King and Stephen Tsiorvas, both age 10.
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| A Falls Along the Upper Portion of Whatcom Creek |
City of Bellingham restoration update:
http://www.cob.org/services/environment/restoration/cemetery-creek.aspx
History Link Sequence of Events:
http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=5468
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shannon p. laws 
Thank you for sharing your poem Judy. I especially loved the lines:
“…the rising gorge, the falling flame tattooed upon the stones
the stab of loss, the rankling scab of memory in our bones
We meet again. She's singing still,
her invitation to the birds, the tender cedar, alders, firs: return.
Her journey incomplete, her noisy waters work unfinished yet:
entrusted with time's burden, she remembers so that we do not forget.”
I have lived in Bellingham for less than three years, yet your poem made me feel as if I was walking around the debris a few days after the blast.
Sometimes nature heals and recovers quicker than our own hearts.
-Shannon
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Hi Shannon…Enjoyed reading River Ink. Here's the link to mine from 2009 (the line breaks are right but the formatting is lost): http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2009/06/04/937894/poet-recalls-angers-awful-roar.html#none
Thanks,
judy
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