BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Divers have recovered two bodies from fire debris at a marina in Bellingham, Wash.
They have not been officially identified but police say the families of Jim Langei and Sterling Taylor have been notified.
They lived aboard a 42-foot boat that burned in a fire on March 30 at the Squalicum Harbor boathouse. Investigators believe the couple was trapped aboard a burning boat that sank during the blaze.
The fire destroyed much of a dock at the Bellingham marina. It was difficult to fight because of its size, and crews didn't have a fire boat, Fire Department Assistant Chief Roger Christensen said.
The city decommissioned an old fire boat last year and didn't replace it because of the cost.
"We were unsuccessful in securing funds to replace it," Christensen said. "We could have used it today."
There was no early indication of the fire's cause.
As many as 10 vessels were in the private boathouse at the marina at the Port of Bellingham when the fire was reported around 5:30 a.m. Flames had spread to several boats when firefighters arrived, and eventually the roof collapsed. No firefighters were injured.
The boathouse and the vessels were a total loss.
City officials said the fire boat was not getting enough use to justify the cost of about $30,000 a year.
Mayor Kelli Linville, who has been in office since January, said the decision not to have a fire boat was made before she assumed the job. She said it would ultimately be a City Council decision whether to now replace it.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
