Family of missing man issues statement as crews continue to search Fairhaven fire site
The family of a missing Bellingham business owner issued a public statement Thursday afternoon regarding the search for Nathaniel V. Breaux, 39, who is presumed to have been inside a building in Fairhaven that was destroyed by a fire over the weekend.
Breaux is the owner of the Harris Avenue Cafe and The Old Independent Coffee Shop, which was located in the historic Terminal Building at Harris Avenue and 11th Street. Search crews still had not located him as of 2:30 p.m. Thursday.
In the statement the family shared that Breaux was catering a celebration for several Western Washington University graduates at the cafe the night of the fire. He attended WWU before buying the cafe in 2016.
Nate is father to 2-year-old Izabella.
Statement from the Breaux family on Nate Breaux:
On Saturday evening, December 16, Nate catered a celebration for several WWU graduates at Harris Avenue Cafe. 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, and we ask for the community’s respect as crews begin searching the building in the coming days.
Nate was a deeply loved brother, son, father, and friend. Harris Avenue Cafe and the Old Independent Coffeehouse were his life. He started in the dish pit while in college at WWU, working his way up to head chef and then buying the cafe in 2016. His passion for healthy, wholesome food was visible in every dish, where almost everything was made from scratch and sourced from local vendors. His staff and customers were his Bellingham family, with many regulars stopping by on a daily or weekly basis. 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.
Nate believed that wealth was not a matter of financial gain, but the impact on making the people around him happy and making the world a kinder and more loving world. In that sense, he was extremely wealthy. While quiet and reserved, and sometimes hard to know, his friends and family knew that when he said something, it mattered. Kindness was his biggest priority.
Nate was a dedicated father to his two-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. He cherished his family, but especially his younger sister, who was born on his fourth birthday and whom he considered “his” and loved dearly. He loved sharing his passions for biking, music, art, and philosophy with anyone who knew him.
We want to extend a deep gratitude to the Bellingham community, and especially Nate’s friends and coworkers, for their support during this devastating time. In the coming weeks, we plan to share more details about a memorial fund for Nate.
