BELLINGHAM, Wash. — On Thursday, crews entered their fifth day of searching a burned-out Bellingham building for the man they fear is inside.
They said it may be days or even weeks before the building is stable enough for them to do a full search.
Meantime, a heartbroken community is trying to comfort the victims this holiday season.
The agonizing wait for answers continued as crews worked to shore up the 135-year-old building in the city's Fairhaven neighborhood so they could bring closure to a heartbroken family.
Thirty-nine-year-old Nate Breaux is believed to be in the rubble. He owned the beloved Harris Avenue Cafe.
"I'm just still in shock," said Wendy Chesnut. "Everyone is."
Chesnut frequented the cafe for years. She considers Nate a friend.
"He's a beautiful man with a nice energy and so caring towards everyone," said Wendy.
The fire broke out early Sunday morning in the historic building that housed Fairhaven's Old Independent Coffee House- better known as Tony's- and the cafe.
Nate's family said the night of the fire, he had catered a party for some WWU grads and was working late.
"Unfortunately, given what we know about the timeline of his night, it is presumed that Nate was in the building when the fire started, and we expect his body to be recovered in the coming days. We are utterly devastated to share this news," a family spokesperson wrote in a statement. "He wanted nothing more than for the cafe to be a place for the community to come together and enjoy a warm atmosphere and good food in a beautiful historic building that held decades of memories. Given the outpouring of community support over the past week, we find comfort in knowing that he achieved this goal."
At least 46 people who worked in the café, coffee house, and upstairs offices are displaced, including staff at adjacent Dirty Dan's Steakhouse, which was also damaged.
Since then, Enjoy Fairhaven has been collecting gift cards to help everyone through this difficult time. More than have been 100 donated so far.
Donations of gift cards will be accepted at the organization's Harris Avenue office through noon Friday.
Restaurants are offering free food to those impacted and businesses are providing free office space.
Enjoy Fairhaven's Heather Carter said it all gives meaning to the season of giving.
"It's just so much gratitude, so much love that I'm seeing pouring from our community," she said. "It has helped turn the despair around."
Online fundraisers have surpassed their goals, raising more than $90,000 for workers.
In a separate fundraiser, the co-parent of Nate's 2-year-old daughter, Izabella, wrote, "We hope he's not in the debris of the fire, but I am deeply concerned for our little girl's day-to-day life."
The family spokesperson added, "Nate was a dedicated father to his 2-year-old, Izabella, who was the center of his universe. He loved spending time with her and exposing her to music, biking, art, and outdoor adventures."
As a family waits for answers, a little girl waits for her father to come home, and a community waits for what to do next.
"I think we'll kinda learn as we go," Chesnut said.