The lake will be back open at 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31, according to 31, state Department of Natural Resources spokesman Chris Hankey.

The Blue Canyon fire is 50% contained, and helicopters are being used again to control the north fire line, officials said. The Blue Canyon Road fire evacuation has been reduced to a Level 1 ...

A member of the Baker River Hotshots, an elite U.S. Forest Service fire crew, checks gear Tuesday on one of their trucks on Blue Canyon Road at the southeast end of Lake Whatcom.

Another concern raised by the fire is that it’s happening in the Lake Whatcom Watershed, which provides drinking water to Bellingham. This story was originally published August 31, 2023 at 8:40 AM.

— The Washington Department of Natural Resources said the Lake Whatcom Fire had burned around 30 acres so far on steep slopes of the south side of Lake Whatcom above Blue Canyon Road.

A 37.55-acre forested site in the foothills south of Lake Whatcom was sold to the city of Bellingham on Monday, May 19, 2025, by Faunt Visser for $860,000.

When the lake does open, people are asked to stay clear of the shore surrounding the fire as there is still falling debris such as large rocks and burned out trees tumbling down the hillside. The fire ...

Lake Whatcom, which has been closed to the public since a wildfire began Monday, will reopen to boats Thursday afternoon. The lake will be back open at 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31, according to 31 ...