KGMI News
by Tracy Ellis
BELLINGHAM, WASH. – A burning smell in the Whatcom County jail Monday night was bad enough to have the Bellingham Fire Department check it out.
The odor spread through the entire building, but they couldn’t find the source.
Sheriff Bill Elfo says a major fire in the jail would be a disaster.
“[It’s] what both the National Institute of Corrections and the Bellingham Fire Department characterize as catastrophic loss of life,” Elfo says.
He says the incident is a reminder of the jail’s poor condition.
Voters rejected a proposal that would have paid for a new jail.