Despite risk of encampment fires, City of Penticton has limited capacity to act
Global News
According to the fire chief, crews have responded to fire-related calls at the encampment about 80 times since last March.
Roaring flames ripped through a tent at the Fairview Homeless Encampment in Penticton, B.C., at around 10 a.m. Monday.
It was the second such fire at the site that same morning, where hours earlier, another tent also went up in flames.
“One was an actual fire. It was a fireplace, a chimney coming through it,” said Mike Larsson, Penticton’s fire chief. “The other one was — it seems to be a propane appliance that was being used.”
Larsson said in both cases, the fires were being used to keep warm.
Days later, charred remnants of the tent fires remained on site as a reminder of the close calls.
“We are lucky at this time that in the fires we’ve had over the last year that nobody’s been seriously injured or killed,” Larsson said.
According to the fire chief, crews have responded to fire-related calls at the encampment about 80 times since last March.
But with the weather about to get even colder, the risk is growing along with concern for human life and property.
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