An RV, a motorcycle, at least two other vehicles and personal tools were lost in a storage unit fire Monday, Feb. 13, in Bellingham, Wash.
The early morning fire was first reported around 5:30 a.m. by drivers who spotted it from Interstate 5, according to Bellingham Fire Department Captain Dustin Michaelis who spoke with The Bellingham Herald.
Fire crews arrived by 5:37 a.m. and found three units fully engulfed in flames, Michaelis said. It took more than an hour for crews to contain the fire, but they tended damage at the site for more than three hours. No injuries were reported.
The fire is a grim reminder to all storage property owners to make sure they have updated all insurance policies. “Every RV & boat storage facility must develop a Risk Management Assessment and Plan. If not, this high-income asset is at the whelm of every weather-related twist and turn,” explains Terry Anderson, President and CEO of Tenant Property Protection, providers of insurance products and services specific to self-storage, RV and boat storage. “For instance, I have witnessed significant windstorms and fires that have wiped out storage facilities because they did not properly keep the brush and trees regularly manicured on their property.
“Owner/operator negligence in preparing for the risk of winds, fires and burglary has led to the rising cost of Property & Casualty insurance rates,” Anderson continues.
“There have even been situations where the loss of income and lack of reimbursement to replace buildings lost to the elements or outside-related incidents has cost owners their livelihood. A Risk Management Assessment and Plan is a way to save profits and costs when faced with potential losses. Every good general business property and casualty agency in the storage industry should have a resource available to meet this need.”
